


Frisk: God of the World

by HeroicSpectre



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Asriel is still Flowey, Character Development, Child Abuse, Dark, Demons, Depression, Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Female Chara, Fictional World, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Healthy Relationships, Human/Monster War, Hurt/Comfort, Male Frisk, Multiverse, Narrator Chara, Politics, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Romance, Soft Chara, Suicide, Terrorism, Undertale Monsters on the Surface
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-30 17:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 51
Words: 254,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8542189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroicSpectre/pseuds/HeroicSpectre
Summary: Using the incredible power gifted to him, Frisk led monsterkind to freedom, but not all humans welcome their new neighbors with open arms.





	1. World Master

Frisk began his ascent.

Mount Ebott, a prison that had been run for far too long. On the surface it appeared to be an ordinary mountain, a lonely peak watching over a forest, perfectly concealing the monsters trapped beneath its surface. Frisk crouched behind a bush as two guards walked by. Once they had passed, Frisk approached the checkpoint and climbed over the fence, careful not to make a sound. He dropped down, took a deep breath, and waited.

_Did I... did I make it?_

Frisk exhaled slowly. At last, he had found a blind spot. Nobody heard him land. Finally clear of the checkpoint, he quietly moved up the mountain's slope and looked for an opening. Eventually, he found one. He spotted the entrance to a cave, but it was sealed by a gate flanked by two watchtowers and over a dozen guards. Frisk swore under his breath. It didn't matter how many times he tried; there was no way he could sneak past.

"Hey, kid! This is a restricted area!"

No… there had to be a way. He had to find it. He had to. The monsters had to be free. If the thousands of people protesting in the streets weren't enough, then he would do it himself. He was the only one who could.

**FILE LOADED**

Frisk stood safely back outside the restricted area. He silently moved back to the same spot and scaled the fence once more. This would be it. He was going to make it this time; he was sure of it.

As Frisk skulked through the mountain's foothills, a shrill alarm rang out. They hadn't spotted him, but Frisk wasn't surprised. It was no secret what Frisk, the new World Master, was after. It didn't matter; they weren't going to stop him. He wouldn't let them. Frisk moved as fast as he could without making too much noise, he headed for the top of the mountain. He found a cliff and started climbing. He prayed that at the top, he would find another way in.

"There! On the cliff! He's climbing!"

"Frisk! Get down, or we  _will_ fire!"

The peak wasn't much further. Frisk climbed as fast as he could. Just as he pulled himself up to the top, a bullet grazed his arm. A burning pain assailed his nerves, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. He grit his teeth and kept climbing. At last, he reached the top, and his prayers were answered. He found a hole that would take him straight to the underground, but it hardly looked safe. He would have to climb down carefully.

He heard something sharp dig into the ground behind him: grappling hooks. There was no time. He had to jump. He looked down the hole. It was a big drop, but he saw something soft at the bottom.

_Well, can't hurt to try…_

Frisk jumped.

He was barely conscious after hitting the flower patch at the bottom, but it was just soft enough for him to survive. Frisk made a new save point. He heard the guards talking above.

"He made it down! Should we go after him?"

"Absolutely not. Protocol strictly forbids us from going down there for any reason. Besides… there's no stopping a World Master."

* * *

One year later

"Hey, you awake, buddy?"

Sans tapped Frisk's shoulder, and he snapped back into focus. He was sitting with Sans by the bar in Grillby's. Frisk's plate was clean save for a few crumbs, and Sans was holding a mostly empty bottle of ketchup. Frisk turned his head toward Sans, who was smiling his usual smile.

"I thought I was supposed to be the lazybones!" Sans exclaimed.

"S-sorry, Sans," Frisk apologized. "I was just… thinking about something."

"Really? Do tell," Sans said.

"The Underground," Frisk answered.

Sans nodded. "Yeah. that was quite the tale. It's not your everyday story."

"What do you mean?"

Sans chuckled. "You're not exactly a normal kid, Frisk."

"What? I'm perfectly normal!"

"Right. You're just a perfectly normal fourteen-year-old kid. Who just happened to single-handedly free an entire species from an underground prison, earning the title Hero of Monsters."

Frisk laughed nervously. "Heh, well, I didn't do it alone."

"And now you're training to be our Royal Ambassador, one of the main representatives of monsterkind."

"I suppose not every kid does that…"

"And… you're the World Master. You have the power to turn back time, because your soul has more determination than any other being in the entire world."

Frisk sighed. "Okay, you win. I'm not normal. Are you happy now?"

_And to top it all off, you have a voice inside your head!_

That was Chara, Frisk's invaluable ally and companion. Frisk had met Chara as soon as he landed in the Underground. Apparently, Chara's body had been buried under those flowers, and Frisk's determination was so strong that it had awakened her from death, causing her to manifest as a spirit inside Frisk's mind. Frisk knew perfectly well that the normal reaction to hearing voices in one's head was to scream and seek psychological help, but Chara was no hallucination. She was already familiar with the underground, so she was able to support Frisk with helpful information throughout his journey. She also had a very spirited personality, and Frisk greatly enjoyed having her around.

"You know, Frisk," Sans said, "your soul is extremely valuable."

"Yes, I know," Frisk replied.

"Some people say you should use it more."

"Yes, but other people say I should never use it, no matter what."

"Right, it's not cool to play around with people's lives and memories. When you reset, you aren't just sending yourself back, you're sending  _everyone_ back. At any time, you can take away a part of every single person's life, and they'll have no memory of what they've lost."

Frisk frowned. That was his power, the power he'd used to save himself from death, as well as the power he had fought to stop.

"Hey, buddy," Sans said, his tone growing dark. "You understand how serious that power of yours is, right?"

Frisk nodded. "Of course I do."

"Are you sure? They don't call it World Master for nothing."

Frisk didn't understand. Why was Sans grilling him all of a sudden? he hadn't reset a single time since leaving the Underground. "Y-yes, I'm sure."

"In that case," Sans said, "have you ever thought about how other people feel knowing there is a person out there who can erase their memories and send them all back in time with a thought? Don't you think someone might wanna keep tabs on a person like that?"

"I... guess so?" Frisk said, a bit confused.

Sans leaned in close and spoke in a hushed whispered. "Frisk… have you realized that you're always being watched?"

"What?"

Sans pointed to a rooftop outside. "See that glare? That's a lens, watching us."

Frisk looked outside and was started to notice the barrel of a large gun pointed straight at him.

Sans pointed to someone inside the restaurant they were in. "And look at that guy, pretending to use his phone."

Frisk glanced at that person. He was looking straight at Frisk before he saw him turn and quickly looked down at his phone. A chill ran down Frisk's spine. "I had no idea," Frisk whispered.

 _Huh, looks like I'm not your only stalker,_  Chara thought.

_Yeah, good thing I've always been acting like I'm being watched._

_Aw, I'm sorry. If you ever want me to stop watching, just ask! I promise I don't peek while you're in the bathroom!_

Frisk had to admit; it was sometimes stressful having someone living in his head at all times, watching his every move. Still, he felt comfortable around Chara. She was a great friend, and Frisk trusted her.

Sans laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it! They're not your enemies! They are there to protect you."

Sans made his creepy, hollow-eyed face. "And to kill you if they decide you're too dangerous."

"S-Sans…"

Sans's eyes went back to normal, but he still looked serious, despite his perpetual smile. "I'm not joking."

This was supposed to be a relaxing dinner! Why did Sans love to scare him like this? Once, Sans had not-so-subtly implied that he would have killed Frisk on the spot if Toriel hadn't made Sans promise to protect humans. Still, this information was something that Frisk needed to hear. He was shocked that he never noticed all those people watching him.

Frisk took a deep breath. "Well, thank you for letting me know. I'll be more careful now."

"Don't mention it," Sans said. "In fact, it looks like you're gonna need to right now. Look."

Sans pointed to a man walking straight towards them. He appeared to be somewhere in his forties. He had short blond hair, and he wore a navy blue Military Police uniform and sunglasses. Without saying anything, he sat down at their table.

"Frisk," the man said, "my name is Agent Miller, of the Military Police. I lead a secret task force dedicated to protecting you." He cast a peevish glare at Sans. "Although, I suppose it's not so secret anymore."

Sans shrugged. "It was secret?"

Miller sighed and turned his attention back to Frisk. "Well, now that you know about us, we can work together. The Human Government asks that you always remain on standby to reset on our command in order to combat any terror attacks that may arise."

Frisk thought about it. It seemed like a reasonable enough request. He knew that he had to use his power carefully, if at all, but stopping major catastrophes could have saved a lot of lives.

 _I don't know about him, Frisk,_ Chara warned.  _This could be exactly what Sans was talking about. What if they just try to use you? Remember, just one year ago, they were keeping the monsters imprisoned underground. That's probably what they really want you for._

"What exactly are you worried about?" Frisk asked.

"That's none of your concern," Miller answered.

"Wait, so you expect me to reset at your command, without any explanation why?"

"There may not be time to explain."

Chara was right.

"No," Frisk said. "I'm not going to be your puppet."

Miller poorly masked his frustration. "That's disappointing to hear, but not unexpected."

"You can't just order me around," Frisk said. "I'm a free person, and I will never use my power without knowing why. But what would you know about freedom? You kept an entire race imprisoned for years, but when we finally destroyed your barrier, you had no choice but to let us pass. Keeping us imprisoned was hard enough, but killing us would have ignited a revolution. The people have made it clear; it's time for monsters to be free. I won't let you push them around any longer."

 _Yeah! You tell him, Frisk!_ Chara cheered.

Miller sighed. "Look, kid. I'm just trying to do my job here. As you know, the Human Government has fully supported the monsters' immigration to the surface. This has nothing to do with that. It's about saving lives."

" _I_  will decide if I reset," Frisk said. "You can't control me."

"You have the power to turn back time. That's a dangerous thing to not be in control of."

"Yes, it would be terrible if the wrong people controlled me."

Miller got up. "I knew your predecessor," he said. "He understood how dangerous his power was. I can only hope you are the same way."

He knew President Malcom? Malcom was the World Master before Flowey. That's what this was about, wasn't it? Malcom wanted his power back.

"I guess so," Frisk replied.

Miller turned to leave. "See you around, World Master."

"That's it?" Frisk asked. "No threats? No insisting that I can't be trusted?"

"Would  _you_ want to pick a fight with a time controller?"

Miller walked away.

Frisk sighed in relief. "Well… he seemed nice."

"He'll be back," Sans said.

Despite being a government dog, Miller actually didn't strike Frisk as a bad guy. It was Miller's superiors that Frisk was worried about. He had to remember that the Human Government still wasn't too thrilled with the Barrier being destroyed.

Frisk looked at Sans. "It's been an interesting evening, but I guess I better head home now."

"Okay. See you later, World Master."

"Please don't call me that…"

Sans laughed. "Bye, Frisk!"

Frisk smiled. "Bye, Sans!"

Frisk headed back home, to Toriel's house. After Asriel had broken the Barrier, Frisk decided to stay with her. His mother was dead, and his father wanted nothing to do with him, so he figured he'd move in with his dear friend who was happy to accommodate him. Frisk was very grateful for it. Toriel was so kind. He could see how great a mother she must have been to Chara and Asriel.

He kept walking through the suburban streets of Surface Home, the new monster capitol which was built near the sprawling metropolis that was Ebott City. As it was the monster capital, the streets were full of monsters happily going about their day, but there were also a few human visitors walking around, curious about their new neighbors.

Now that he knew he was being watched, Frisk was wearier of his surroundings than ever before. It seemed like someone was watching him from every rooftop, and he caught several suspicious people watching him on the street. Frisk looked up and saw that sniper looking right at him. It was like the Sword of Damocles, except instead of a sword it was a speeding bullet traveling at eight-hundred meters per second at the pull of a trigger.

_Don't worry, Frisk. I'll protect you._

_How?_

_With my gentle encouragement?_

Frisk laughed quietly.  _Thank you, Chara._

_But come on, Frisk! What do you have to be worried about? Even if they do shoot you, you can just reset!_

_Yes, but you heard Sans. I_  hate  _resetting._

 _...yes,_ Chara agreed.  _I normally despise resets as well._

Frisk tried to lighten the mood.  _I can't wait to get back home to Toriel._

_Perhaps Toriel will make us some ButtsPie!_

_Butterscotch pie, Chara._

_Yeah, ButtsPie! You have a problem with my shorthand?_

_Ah, Chara. Never change._

Chara helped Frisk take his mind off everything as he walked home. When he finally arrived, Toriel greeted him. As Chara had hoped, Frisk smelled her butterscotch-cinnamon pie as he walked in.

"How was your day?" Toriel asked.

"Great!" Frisk exclaimed, perfectly concealing his anxiety. "Sans and I hung out after I got off work."

"That sounds nice!" Toriel said. "Anyway, I baked you some pie! It is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Toriel!"

"You are welcome, Frisk!"

Frisk went into the kitchen and helped himself to the pie. He bit into it, and he and Chara both savored its sweetness. Chara could sense anything that Frisk sensed, including taste. Despite not having a body, Chara was able to enjoy the pie as much as Frisk did.

 _Brings back memories,_  Chara thought quietly.

…  _Chara, why don't you let me tell her?_

_DON'T!_

Frisk clutched his head in pain.

 _Sorry,_ Chara apologized,  _but she mustn't know._ _She can't know._

Frisk sighed.  _Just like your brother…_

After breaking the barrier, Asriel had disappeared. Frisk tried to tell him to come with him. He swore that he would find a way to save him, but Asriel wouldn't have it. He was completely resigned to his fate.

He understood why they felt that way. They didn't want Toriel to know they existed as soulless shells of their former selves. It would cause her so much pain, and how could they put her through that? Still, as much as it would have hurt, Frisk believed that Toriel would be happy to see them again, even as they were. It made him sad knowing that Toriel was completely unaware that Chara was living inside his head. After all, one of the reasons he had decided to stay with Toriel was so Chara could be with her mother again, but Chara wouldn't let that happen.

 _I want to help both of you,_ Frisk said.

_You can't save everyone, Frisk._

_I know. Some people call me a god, but that's far from the truth. I'm not all-powerful, and yet, for some reason, my determination was able to bring you back. I don't know how, but someday, I'm going to truly bring you back to life. You and Asriel both deserve a second chance._

_Asriel does, but I'm the one who got him killed._

_You were just trying to free the monsters. Of course, the way you tried to do it was wrong, but… you were doing what you thought was right. I know it sounds silly, but your heart was in the right place._

_Heh, no it wasn't._

_Chara…_

_I'm pretty sure Asriel's body was NOT the right place for my heart! It belongs in my chest!_

Frisk smiled. Chara had such a great sense of humor.

 _But seriously, Frisk. Before I met you, I_  hated _humanity. They were horrible to me, and they were horrible to all monsters. The humans killed so many monsters during the war, and then they caged them like animals. I hated them so much I was consumed by it. Before I met you, I was heading down a dark path, but you stopped me. You showed me a better way. I hate to think what I might have become if you weren't half as nice as you are. I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you, Frisk._

Frisk wanted to hug Chara so badly, if only she had a body. Words would have to be enough.

_You're welcome, Chara, and don't worry. I know you're a good person inside._

_I'll try to be._

Frisk yawned. It was getting late.

 _Alright,_  Frisk thought.  _I guess I should turn in now._

Frisk went to his room and got ready for bed. Before tucking in, he picked up one of the two pictures on his nightstand. It was a picture with Frisk and his friends. Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, and himself. They were all smiling. After a few moments, Frisk put the picture back and grabbed the other one. This one was a family photo of Toriel, Asgore, Asriel, and Chara. The color was faded with time, but they, too, were all smiling.

Despite her camera-shy blush, Chara looked so happy in that picture... and very cute as well. Her hair was styled almost exactly like Frisk's, a bob cut that went down to her shoulders, but its color was auburn rather than Frisk's brown. Both of their eyes were red, though Chara's eyes were a brighter shade, which looked absolutely  _stunning._ Frisk couldn't help but stare. She was so...

_Uh... Frisk?_

Y _ou're so pretty, Chara._

Chara replied with a flustered voice. Y-y _ou little flirt! You flirt with_ everyone _!_

Pretty much, but he wasn't serious about it, not like with her...

Frisk frowned, his heart aching. He could never tell her, not when she didn't even have a soul of her own.

He turned his attention to Asriel before he creeped Chara out. Fortunately for Frisk, Chara could only hear thoughts he deliberately transmitted to her. Unfortunately for Frisk, the opposite was true. He could only hear what Chara wanted him to hear.

 _We will find him,_ Frisk thought to Chara.  _Even if he's soulless, he has to be happier here than wherever he is now._

_Y-yeah, I hope so._

Frisk put the picture back and got ready to sleep.

_Goodnight, Chara._

_'Night, Frisk._

Frisk turned off the lights.

* * *

**AN: Greetings. I am the author. Like many authors around here, I'll be writing notes before and/or after the chapter every once in a while. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, and any feedback – good or bad – is always greatly appreciated! Well, that's all for now. Thanks for checking out my story!**


	2. The Embassy

Frisk was preparing for another day at the Monster Embassy. Asgore had just arrived to drive Frisk there. Once Frisk was ready, he headed outside.

Frisk smiled when he saw Asgore. "Hi, Asgore!"

Asgore smiled back. "Good morning, Frisk!"

As they headed to Asgore's car, Toriel waved goodbye to Frisk. "Have a good day, Frisk! Come back safe!"

Asgore nervously smiled and waved to Toriel. In response, she scowled and folded her arms. "Mr. Dreemurr."

Wordless, Asgore frowned and turned away from her. He let Frisk into his car, and they drove off.

…  _I hate seeing them like that,_ Chara thought quietly.  _It's the exact opposite of how they used to be._  Chara laughed inside Frisk's head.  _Ah… Asriel and I used to get so embarrassed around them. If I only I knew that I would miss it one day._

Frisk felt so bad for her. He knew she blamed herself for what happened between them, and sadly, there was some truth to that. If it weren't for her, they probably would have still been together. Well, actually, they probably would have been dead because all of their soul power would have transferred to their children, so... hey, there's the bright side, right?

"So, are you ready for work, Frisk?" Asgore asked.

"Yes, Asgore. I'm old enough to represent the entire Kingdom of Monsters in critical negotiations with the Human Government, but I'm not old enough to get a driver's license."

_Child labor: Asgore Dreemurr!_ Chara commented.

Asgore laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that! But you're much more mature than many adults I know!"

_Not a normal kid, as Sans put it._

Technically, Frisk was just an ambassador in training. He was only supposed to observe Asgore do his thing as he worked. However, being both the World Master and the 'Hero of Monsters' gave Frisk a lot of influence. so his opinions carried a lot of weight, perhaps even more than Asgore himself. Resetting wasn't the only power Frisk had.

They reached the embassy. Asgore parked, and they headed inside. Frisk felt a little uneasy as they entered.

"Are you ready for this?" Asgore asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Frisk answered.

Frisk wasn't usually nervous, but it was a particularly important day. That day, they were about to hold a debate concerning humanity's greatest fear: the monsters' ability to absorb human SOULs. The President of the Human Government himself was going to be there, President Jacob Malcom. Malcom had been President for all of Frisk's life (There was no term limit in the Human Government.) For the most part, Frisk found Malcolm to be a fair and just leader, except on one certain issue: Malcom was a huge supporter of the Mount Ebott barrier. He was one of the biggest reasons why the barrier had taken so long to fall. Another interesting fact about Malcom was that before Asriel was reincarnated as Flowey, Malcom used to be the World Master, and once Frisk's determination was fully developed, he became third in line. Frisk hoped that Malcom had no hard feelings about that… or about how he had helped destroy the barrier…

Yeah… Malcom probably hated Frisk's guts.

Frisk and Asgore made their way to the Embassy's largest auditorium, where a massive crowd of both humans and monsters had gathered. Frisk spotted a few of his friends in the crowd. Undyne along with Royal Guards 01 and 02 approached them. Most of the Royal Guard had disbanded once Asgore canceled his plans to attack humanity, but a few still remained as Asgore's bodyguards.

"We're ready to serve, sire," Undyne said.

"As always, I hope you won't need to," Asgore replied.

Frisk smiled. "Great to see you, Undyne!"

Undyne smiled back. "We're all counting on you, Frisk!"

The crowd went silent; the President had arrived. The President, Frisk, and Asgore went to their podiums on the stage. Frisk braced himself for what could have quite possibly been his important debate yet.

"Just a little over one year ago," Malcom began. "The monster race returned to coexist with humanity. Many of you rejoiced at what felt like a long overdue release. The monsters had been trapped for so long, but now they're able to live in harmony with humanity."

Malcom's tone grew bitter. "However, as heartwarming as their release may be, the enormous threat they pose to the entire world's security cannot be ignored. With just a single human SOUL, any monster can become a powerful and fearsome beast. With just two human SOULs, any monster can gain control of the timeline, becoming the new World Master. With seven human SOULs, a monster will gain godlike power. If such a monster was struck with the desire to kill, there may be no stopping them."

Why was he so afraid. Frisk couldn't remain silent any longer. He spoke into his microphone "Let's not forget that in the Human-Monster War, the monsters were unable to claim a single human SOUL. The strength of nearly every monster SOUL in existence is only a little more powerful than a single human SOUL. Two human SOULs are more powerful than the entire monster race. That is more than enough to balance out the monsters' SOUL absorption."

Malcom couldn't suppress casting an peeved glare at Frisk. "You, of all people, should know that's simply not true. While it's true that our advanced weaponry could potentially take down even a godlike monster, the ability to RESET has no true counter. There are only two ways to beat a World Master. One way is present the Master with a nearly impossible scenario and wait for them to either give up or lose their determination, but the only certain method is to introduce a new World Master. The threat that monsters pose has gone unchecked for far too long. That is why today, the Human Government demands that at least one monster shall be conscripted into the Military Police."

The crowd began murmuring over Malcom's bold request.

"This monster shall remain on watch for any attacks from monsters that may arise," Malcom declared. "If another monster absorbs human SOULs and gains the power to RESET, our monster shall absorb the SOULs of our security team in order to combat the threat. With our support, the security monster should easily gain the advantage over any potential threats and neutralize them."

Frisk felt conflicted. To be fair, SOUL absorption  _was_  a serious concern. When Asriel had absorbed enough SOULs to become the self-proclaimed God of Hyperdeath, he could have destroyed the entire underground if Frisk hadn't been able to reason with him.

_But… monsters wouldn't do that,_ Chara thought.  _I've seen plenty of bad humans, but I've never seen a bad monster, not a seriously bad one at least. Well, besides Jerry. Screw Jerry._

_I know what you mean,_ Frisk replied.  _But, is it unfair to think that? If humans can be bad, then why not monsters? Surely, there must be a few truly bad ones out there. Then again… I think anyone, human or monster, can be a good person, if they just try._

_I guess what they're asking isn't so bad,_  Chara thought.  _It's at least much better than imprisoning them under a mountain,_   _but what's stopping THEM from abusing the monster? What's stopping them from taking advantage of all that power?_

Frisk decided to ask him. "Such a monster would place a lot of power in your hands. What's stopping you from abusing that power?"

"Using this monster will be taken as seriously as launching a nuclear weapon," Malcom replied. "They will only be put into service if absolutely necessary."

"I'll allow it," Asgore announced. "But on one condition: this monster must be a volunteer."

"Then, will anyone volunteer to keep the world safe?" Malcom asked.

The crowd was silent for a while.

"… I'll do it," someone finally said.

A monster walked onto the stage. He looked like a boar, and he was about the same size as Asgore, which was pretty big.

"Salutations. I'm Boaris. Boaris the Boar."

Frisk slowly buried his face into the palm of his hand. Was he related to Asgore somehow?

_I remember him,_  Chara thought.  _That makes him pretty old… Oh, God… That felt weird to say._

_Wait… If you were born all those years ago, then…_

_Don't you have more important things to worry about?!_

Good point.

"Thank you, Boaris," Malcom said, "You're doing the entire world a great service."

"I'm just trying to keep everyone safe," Boaris answered.

"Are you really sure, Asgore?" Frisk whispered.

"We have to make compromises," Asgore answered. "I hope it doesn't happen, but we do have to do something in case human SOULs fall into the wrong hands. Still… I didn't think Boaris would do it, of all people."

"What's Boaris like?" Frisk asked.

"Boaris used to hate humanity. His wife and children were all killed in the Human-Monster War. I have no idea why he's so eager to go with them now."

"You don't think…?"

"No, I don't think he's planning to turn on them. The humans will without a doubt have meticulous precautions against that anyway, and Boaris is usually a very gentle person."

"Is he an old friend of yours?" Frisk asked. "If he was in the Human-Monster War, then that makes him as old as Gerson! He's a boss monster, isn't he? He doesn't age because he has no children to pass on his SOUL power."

"That's correct," Asgore answered. "He's just like me."

That stung. If only Asgore knew that his son was alive, but out of respect for Asriel's wishes, Frisk didn't tell him. The same went for Chara.

"… I hope Boaris doesn't regret his decision," Frisk said.

Frisk still wasn't completely sure about this. He didn't want monsters to be viewed as weapons, but on the other hand, this was an unprecedented act of human-monster cooperation. Perhaps this was a step for humans and monsters moving past their differences.

"Frisk…" Asgore said. "I'll take it from here. You should go home."

Frisk sighed. He wished he could do more, but despite his fame, he wasn't a real ambassador yet. He was just a really odd fourteen-year-old.

Asgore looked at Undyne. "Undyne, could you please take Frisk home?"

"Of course, sire." Undyne looked at 01 and 02. "Don't let anything happen to the King!"

"Of course not, Captain," 02 answered.

"We've got this! Take care of Frisk!" 01 exclaimed.

"See you later, Asgore," Frisk said.

"Goodbye, Frisk," Asgore responded.

Walking with Undyne, Frisk left the room and exited the Embassy building. He looked at her, and he had an idea. "Hey, Undyne," he whispered, "instead of taking me home, can you take me to Alphys?"

"Sure, Frisk!" Undyne exclaimed. "We'll both go!"

Frisk smiled. "You're not worried about disobeying Asgore?"

"He can't order you around! I'm supposed to escort you, so that's what I'm doing!"

"You just want an excuse to see Alphys."

"That too!"

Frisk laughed, and they started walking the streets to Alphys's lab. As they walked, Frisk tried not to think about the fact that he was constantly being followed and monitored by the Military Police. Who needed them when he had Undyne, anyway?

Fortunately, Alphys's lab wasn't far. After a short walk, they reached it. It looked a lot like he old lab from the Underground, a big, white, rectangular building. Undyne knocked on the door. "Hi, dear! It's me!"

Alphys quickly opened the door. "H-hi, Undyne! Oh, and Frisk!"

"Yeah, yeah, great to see you," Undyne said. "Now let us in!"

"Y-yes, of course!" Alphys obeyed Undyne's command. Frisk and Undyne went inside.

Like the exterior, Alphys's new lab looked just like her old one back underground. It had the same light blue floor and light green walls and looked clear and pristine, except for a few notes scattered around plastered with Alphys's nearly illegible handwriting.

"I watched the debate today," Alphys said. "That was some… pretty serious stuff."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"I know better than most monsters how powerful human SOULs are," Alphys said. "It's definitely important to watch out for. I just hope they treat Boaris well."

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry!" Undyne exclaimed. "If they do anything to Boaris, they'll have a little chat with me about it!"

Frisk laughed. "I know how important it is to stay on your good side!"

Undyne smiled. "You haven't seen the half of it, Frisk!"

"Um… are you hungry?" Alphys asked. "I wasn't really expecting guests today. All I have is these instant noodles."

"That's fine," Frisk said.

Alphys went to her fridge and grabbed three bags of instant noodles.

_Ask her if she has chocolate!_ Chara demanded.

"Um… hey… you wouldn't happen to have any chocolate, would you?"

"Uh… I think I do, actually." Alphys rummaged through her fridge and found a bar of chocolate. She gave it to him.

"You know," Undyne said, "I noticed you've been eating chocolate a lot lately."

"I… I just like it," Frisk said.

"It's funny. They say Toriel's dead human child liked chocolate too."

Uh, where was she going with this? "Well, lots of people like chocolate..."

"They also say she always wore a striped sweater, and she had shoulder-length brown hair."

"Plenty of kids dress like that..."

"They also say she liked to carry a knife around… You thought I didn't see it?"

Just in case, Frisk always carried a worn dagger that he found in New Home. Chara said it was once her knife; Asgore had given it to her as a birthday present. Before her death, Chara had used it to help Asgore trim plants and vines in his garden.

Undyne grabbed the knife out of Frisk's pocket. "H-hey!"

"Why  _do_ you carry this around?" Undyne asked. "What does a wimp like you need this for?"

"I don't know, why do you have magical death spears?" Frisk retorted.

She handed the knife back. "I guess it  _is_ important for you to protect yourself," she said. "You're a very important person, Frisk."

Frisk put the knife away. "Yeah."

Undyne stared into Frisk's eyes. "You  _do_ look like that Chara kid, though. I wasn't around when she was, but Asgore showed me photos. There's something about your eyes, and I don't just mean how they're both red. You have that same  _look_ as her, you know? You have that same  _look_ , like a, 'Don't worry, I've got this,' look."

_Undyne is fascinating, is she not?_

Frisk smiled. "Heh, if you say so."

Alphys handed each of them a bowl of instant noodles without cooking them. "They're better dry," she said.

Frisk took his bowl and started eating the noodles.

_Frisk, please…_

_After, Chara._

_Oh, okay…_

As they ate, Frisk decided it was time to ask. "Hey, Alphys… I actually came here for an important reason. Remember that flower you were experimenting on?"

"Uh, of course," Alphys said. "It just disappeared one day. I have no idea what happened to it... Why do you ask?"

Frisk nervously looked around as if to make sure they weren't being watched. "Can you keep what I'm about to tell you a secret?"

"Why the secrecy?" Undyne asked.

"This is serious."

"Uh, alright. I can be discreet."

Frisk regretted telling them this already. "That flower," he whispered. "Alphys… it dissapeared because the determination brought it to life, back to life. It turned into… Asriel."

Undyne and Alphys's eyes widened.

"But… Asriel is dead!" Undyne exclaimed.

"Not anymore," Frisk said. "But he's soulless, and I don't know where he is. Please, Alphys. Help me find him."

Alphys looked at him like he was crazy "I'm sorry, but... that doesn't seem possible."

"It's him," Frisk insisted. "Alphys... please help him."

Alphys stared at him blankly, in disbelief.

"I'm not crazy!" Frisk sweared. "Alphys, why would I lie about this? You know me!"

".., alright," Alphys said. "I wouldn't believe it coming from just anyone, but I... I trust you, Frisk! I'll do whatever I can to find the flower, but I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do. You probably know more than me."

Frisk was filled with relief. "Thank you. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

"Hmm… this flower must have a lot of determination to survive without a SOUL," Alphys thought out loud.

Frisk nodded. "Yes, very." He decided not to explain that he had been the World Master after Malcom and before himself. Flowey had done some... bad things with that power.

"Perhaps I can try scanning for that determination," Alphys said. "It'll be hard to spot through all the humans though."

"Thank you!" Frisk exclaimed. "And… there's one more thing…"

_Chara, can I tell them?_

…  _fine._

"Funny thing about me and Chara," Frisk said. "Chara is actually… uh… in my head…"

"What? You mean like, you can hear her?" Undyne asked.

"Yes."

"She's a voice in your head?"

"... yes."

"Uh… wow…" Undyne muttered. "Umm… excuse me, Frisk. I'm gonna talk to Alphys for a bit." She leaned into Alphys and whispered, but Frisk could still hear. "Alphys, what the HELL is wrong with Frisk?!"

"I think he's actually telling the truth," Alphys whispered back.

"Oh, come on! Asriel's a talking flower? Chara's inside his head? He's completely lost it!"

"I can hear you," Frisk said.

"Well, prove it!" Undyne demanded. "Prove that Chara is in your head!"

"Umm… how…?"

"M-maybe we can ask you something only Chara would know," Alphys suggested.

"Like what?" Undyne asked.

"Uh… Chara, what's your favorite food?" Alphys asked.

"Everybody know that!"

"W-well… we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Alphys said. "After all, I was shocked to find out that Papyrus's favorite food wasn't spaghetti."

For the record, Papyrus's favorite food turned out to be that oatmeal with the dinosaur eggs.

_Yeah_ ,  _it's chocolate,_ Chara confirmed.

"Chara says it is indeed chocolate," Frisk relayed.

"Well… what's her favorite kind of chocolate?" Undyne asked.

_All of them!_

"She says… all of them."

Undyne shoved an energy spear right in front of Frisk's forehead. "Just pick something you creepy ghost thing!"

_W-well… I particularly like dark chocolate… All that cacao… That intense flavor and rush of sweetness… Mhmm…_

"Sh-she says she likes dark chocolate…"

"… yeah, this is getting us nowhere," Undyne said. "If Chara really is inside your head, how did she get there?"

"My determination brought her back," Frisk explained.

"So," Alphys said, "through determination, both of the Dreemurrs' children have come back from the dead."

"Can you help her?" Frisk asked.

"Well, it's actually not that hard to revive a human if their SOUL is intact," Alphys said. "Reviving a human body requires the SOUL power of seven human SOULs, which is child's play in the human world. Of course, when Chara died in the underground, we didn't have any determination to give her, but here on the surface, saving her would have been trivial. Human hospitals are filled with extracted determination donated by various humans. However… you need a SOUL to maintain a human body, and most SOULs are inhabited by a person. There is such a thing as an empty SOUL, a SOUL that is inhabited by no one, but they are extremely rare."

"Empty SOULs…?" Frisk asked. "Can you make one?"

"I'm sorry," Alphys apologized. "They still must come from someone who was once living."

"So… if I want to bring Chara back, someone will have to die…"

"Asriel is even harder," Alphys said. "While he can absorb them for power, a human SOUL won't restore his body; he needs a monster SOUL. Monsters SOULs break outside their bodies. We can't extract them. Trust me, I've tried. The only possibility is a boss monster's SOUL, which can survive just long enough to be absorbed. This is all on top of the problem of finding an empty SOUL."

_Frisk… maybe you should just accept that we're dead._

Honestly, if Chara and Asriel were actually dead, Frisk could have moved on, but they weren't exactly dead. They were in a strange state of limbo. Frisk couldn't allow them to stay like that. Until they were both saved, Frisk could never truly be happy.

"I won't give up!" Frisk exclaimed. "There has to be an acceptable way to save them!"

"Frisk," Alphys said quietly. "Even if there is, are you sure to want to revive Chara?"

"What's that supposed to mean?! Of course I want to revive Chara! She's my friend!"

"Asriel thought she was his friend too, but then… she killed herself so Asriel could absorb her SOUL and attack the humans. And then, Asriel died. How do you know that Chara isn't just using you, just like she used Asriel?"

How did she…? Oh, right… Alphys saw the tapes. She was the only one who knew the truth behind Chara's death.

"What are you talking about?" Undyne asked. "Chara died of an illness."

"Yes, she poisoned herself," Alphys replied.

"What…? How could she try to make her own brother do such a terrible thing? Perhaps she really wasn't as great a person as everyone thought…"

Frisk couldn't stand hearing them talk about Chara like this. It made him angry, which wasn't an emotion he experienced often. He knew that Chara hadn't exactly been a saint, but neither had they.

"Look who's talking," Frisk told Undyne. "Didn't you try to kill me so Asgore could take my SOUL and destroy humanity?"

"F-Frisk…"

Frisk sighed. "I… I'm sorry, but Chara just wanted the same thing all of you did: freedom for all monsters. She's not a bad person, at least… not anymore. Please, just give her a chance…"

"… you're right," Alphys said. "Back underground, many of us tried to kill you, but you showed us all mercy and forgiveness. Now, it's our turn to do the same. We'll do everything we can to help both Asriel and Chara."

"Of course!" Undyne exclaimed. "These are the royal children we're talking about! Helping them will be our top priority!"

"You'll help too, Undyne?" Frisk asked. "Thank you!"

"I'll start scanning for Asriel right away," Alphys said.

"Can I do anything?" Frisk asked.

"I'm afraid not. You should probably get home before Toriel worries."

Frisk sighed. "Alright. Oh, and remember: please keep this secret. Neither of them want Asgore or Toriel to worry about them."

"I CAN BE DISCREET!" Undyne yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Don't worry," Alphys said. "It's a secret to everybody… heh, heh."

Frisk waved goodbye. "Thank you so much! I'll come back soon."

Alphys and Undyne waved back, and Frisk headed back home.

Frisk stepped out of Alphys's lab and back onto the streets. Outside, he once again felt uneasy as looked into the crowd. How many of them were Miller's spies? Frisk made a new SAVE point and started walking. It was around noon, and the traffic on the street was moderate. As usual in Surface Home, the sidewalks were populated with mostly monsters and a few curious humans here and there.

_Frisk…_

_Oh, right!_

Frisk unwrapped his chocolate and started eating it.

_So good!_ Chara exclaimed.  _Thank you! And more importantly, thank you for trying to find my brother!_

Frisk laughed.  _I'm glad you have your priorities straight._

_Hey, I love my brother! Even though… I killed him…_

_Not this again. You know you never meant for him to get hurt._

_But I did try to kill others… I'm not a good person…_

_Chara, don't do this to yourself. You haven't killed anyone. It's all in the past, now._

H _ow do you know that Alphys isn't right about me? How do you know that I'm not just using you?_

_Because I know you're my friend. I believe in you, and I care about you. So please, stop torturing yourself._

… s _orry, Frisk. You're right. I'll try to stop beating myself up. Heh, I sound like Napstablook, don't I?_

_It's okay. You've been through -_

Out of nowhere, some human girl yelled, "Oh my God! Look! It's Frisk! The Hero of Monsters!"

It was one of Frisk's fans. Frisk hadn't saved the monsters to become famous, but it pleased him that he had made so many people happy.

The fan ran up to him. She looked about his age. "Hi, Frisk! C-can I have your autograph?" The girl handed him a plush doll of Toriel to sign.

_Well, I never saw this coming,_  Frisk thought.  _I just wanted to save the monsters. I never meant to become famous._

_Yeah_ ,  _look at you! So popular!_

"Please sign my Toriel!" the girl exclaimed.

Frisk signed the doll and handed it back. The girl blushed. "A-and… I know you don't even know me, and many others have probably asked you… b-but… w-would you b-be willing t-to… go out with me…?"

Despite himself, Frisk blushed too. Not because of this random girl, but because it made him think of the person he  _did_ like. "I… I'm sorry… I… like someone else…"

"Oh… I s-see… They must be a lucky person. Well… th-thanks for the autograph…" The girl walked away, looking more than a little dejected.

_Crazy fangirl,_ Chara thought. _Still, way to lie to her face, Frisk! You could have just told her you weren't interested!_

_Yeah… I'm a dirty liar…_

_Now people are going to be wondering who this mysterious crush of yours is!_

Frisk felt like he got shot right through his soul.

_What's wrong, Frisk? Do you really feel that bad about her? Or… do you actually like someone?_

… y _es…_

_You do…? How could I have not noticed? Who could it possibly be…? Wait… oh, no… Frisk..._

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. Why did he say yes?!

_Don't tell me…_

_Ch-Chara… I…_

_You don't actually like TSUNDERPLANE, do you?!_

Frisk was both relieved and dissapointed.  _Haha… no. I was just messing with you. I'm not interested in anyone right now._

Not anyone else, anyway.

_Well… you are about that age, Frisk. Maybe you should start thinking about this. If you want, I can help you! It'll be just like old times!_

Frisk felt like his heart was going to explode. He wanted to tell her who he was really interested in, but… it would have been wrong to do that to her. Chara was soulless, just like Asriel. Frisk knew that Chara wasn't physically capable of genuinely loving him or even actually caring about him, so he had to keep his feelings hidden from her. And, even if she did have a soul, would she have felt the same way he felt?

Suddenly, Frisk's thoughts were interrupted by several loud bangs, gunfire. It was instant chaos. Everyone in the street screamed and started running. A few of the humans in the crowd – the secret Military Police agents – pulled out handguns.

Frisk dropped his chocolate.

_Wh-what's going on?_ Chara asked.  _Someone's fighting your security detail?_

Frisk panicked as the sound of the gunfire rapidly grew closer. He tried to run, but bullets flew right by him and struck the ground in front of him, warning shots. Frisk's ears rang as the bullets flew right by him, and he was frozen in terror. He couldn't even see where the shots were coming from; it was all happening so fast. A Military Police agent jumped in front of Frisk to shield him, and the unknown assailants immediately shot him dead. The agent's blood was smeared all over Frisk as his corpse slid down Frisk's body. Frisk looked around and saw several other agents desperately trying to fight back. They tried to take cover, but the bullets were coming in from all directions. They were all gunned down, creating pools of blood on the street. Frisk didn't know what to do. He just ducked down and covered his head, hyperventilating.

_Frisk, reset!_

Oh, of course! Frisk tried to reset… but he couldn't reach his save files. He couldn't reset.

_What?_

_Frisk, only the World Master can manipulate save points._

_Then…_

_Someone else just became the World Master._

Frisk saw a van park in the middle of the street near him. Several unfriendly-looking people came out and walked straight towards him. He tried to run, but another van blocked his path. More people came out and pointed guns at him. He was surrounded. Frisk slowly held up his shaking hands. "Wh-what do you want with me?"

They grabbed him.


	3. FPS

" **Be careful in the outside world, OK? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there.**   **And not everything can be resolved just by being nice."**

**-Asriel Dreemurr**

* * *

_Frisk! Wake up!_

_FRISK!_

"Look who's awake now."

Frisk opened his eyes. He was in a large and dark room, strapped down in a chair, and a strange man was looking at him. Frisk couldn't believe this was happening.

"What do you want with me?" Frisk asked again.

The man walked closer to Frisk. He was hideous. His skin looked like it was… melting. Tan droplets dripped down onto the floor he stood on. Frisk decided to call him Melty.

Melty made a devilish grin and placed one of his drippy fingers on Frisk's chest. "Simple. We need your SOUL."

"You can't have it. Humans can't absorb other human SOULs."

Melty stroked his finger across Frisk's chest, smearing him with his disgusting melted flesh. "You're right. We can't absorb your SOUL, but we can absorb your determination. You have a lot of determination, former World Master."

Melty's body looked like it could barely stay together.

"What happened to you?" Frisk asked him.

"I am filled with determination!" Melty replied.

_He's been injected with extracted determination,_  Chara informed Frisk.  _He must have injected so much that he surpassed you and became the World Master, but his body can barely handle it. I don't think he's even stable enough to RESET._

Frisk had to admit. Melty was… determined.

"Why are you doing this?" Frisk asked Melty.

"Not everyone is happy with what you've done, Frisk," Melty replied. "Some of us liked the monsters exactly where they were. We are going to send the monsters back, one way or another."

"You can't be serious…"

"That's right. We're preparing for war, and you can't fight a war without determination. Even for people who aren't World Masters, determination is truly a marvelous substance. It can instantly heal almost any injury. They say it can even bring back the dead. You have a lot of determination. Your SOUL is going to provide us with all the determination we need."

The blood drained from Frisk's face. They were going to farm him like a cow, and they were going to use him to terrorize monsters. It was a fate worse than death.

Melty and his men brought out something big: a DT Extraction Machine. It was equipped with a terrifyingly massive needle. Could it even be called a needle? It was almost as thick as a knife. Frisk whimpered in pain as the terrorists stuck this needle inside Frisk's chest.

"Not only does your SOUL have a massive capacity for determination," Melty said. "But it also regenerates quite nicely. You are going to be a very efficient farm. We are going to squeeze out every last drop of determination your SOUL can produce."

"P-please…!" Frisk almost screamed. "Don't do this! Monsters aren't our enemy! We can live in peace, if you just allow it!"

They ignored Frisk's desperate plea and activated the machine. Frisk grimaced and felt all of his energy get sucked away. Frisk was overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness as the machine drained him. Pain slowly built up inside him, and he started to scream. It hurt. He wanted it to stop. He felt like he was suffocating. When it was finally over, everything was a blur, and Frisk was panting from the pain. Through the blur, Frisk could make out his determination being collected into a canister. They removed the needle, and blood trickled out of the small hole it had left in Frisk's chest.

"Thank you," Melty said with a sadistically satisfied look on his face. "We'll be back to collect more soon."

Melty and most of his men left the room.

Frisk wanted to cry.  _Ch-Chara… what do I do?_

_I don't know…_

He tried to get out of the chair, but he was strapped down tight. He wasn't going anywhere.

… t _his is why I hated humans,_  Chara thought.  _They're always doing stuff like this, especially World Masters. They think that just because they can RESET, they are above consequences. They think they can use people however they want, not even caring about the people they hurt. People are just machines to them._

_Not all humans are like this,_  Frisk reminded her.  _There's plenty of good humans in this world. These ones are just a bad example._

_Can anything break you? Even now, you're still clinging to your hope._

_Yes, I believe someone will come to help us._

… a _lright. I'll hold on to my hope, too… And, when I said I hated World Masters, I didn't mean you, Frisk! You've never once abused your power! You… really are a great person._

_And Chara, even if we don't get out of this, even if we die here, these people won't win. Someone else will stop them. My only regret is that I never got to save you. At least we told Alphys and Undyne about Asriel, so even if we don't make it, at least Asriel still has a chance._

_No, Frisk. We're not dying here! We will survive this!_

Frisk managed a smile.  _Thank you, Chara._

Frisk looked around the room. It was a large, industrial-looking room, and there were crates full of guns and explosives all over the place. Melty wasn't kidding. These people really were preparing for war. In the room with Frisk was a single guard covered in full combat armor. He walked up to Frisk.

"Frisk…" the guard growled. "If it weren't for you, none of this would be necessary."

"It's NOT necessary!" Frisk told him.

That earned Frisk a punch in the face. "Monsters are too dangerous to walk among us!" the guard yelled. "Unless we do something, it's only a matter of time before they destroy us all!"

"Monsters are the dangerous ones?! Look at all these weapons! YOU'RE the only threat here!"

The guard grew even angrier and continued hitting him. Blood spattered from Frisk's nose and mouth.

"Y-you… really hate me this much?" Frisk asked.

The guard pulled back his arm for a devastating hit, but something green wrapped itself around his wrist.

"Wh-what…?!"

It looked like a vine. It gripped the guard's arm crushingly tight; Frisk heard his bones snap. The guard began to scream before another vine wrapped itself around his neck and strangled him. After some futile struggling, he fell to the ground unconscious. A flower appeared before Frisk.

"What a miserable creature, torturing an innocent youth," the flower said.

_Oh my God..._

Frisk called out to him. "Asriel!".

He looked back at him. "I told you not to call me that." With his vines, he tore apart Frisk's restraints and helped him out of the chair.

"You're not Flowey," Frisk said. "You're Asriel."

"No, Asriel is dead. I'm Flowey."

"If you're not Asriel, then why did you come to save me? How did you even know I was in trouble?"

Asriel remained silent.

"You've been following me, haven't you?"

Asriel sighed. "We can argue about this later. Right now, you need to take cover and stay low. They're almost here."

"Who…?"

Frisk heard gunfire. Melty and several of his men frantically rushed into the room and shut the door.

"It's the Military Police!" Melty yelled.

Before the terrorists could fully prepare, the MP soldiers blew the door open, and another vicious firefight ensued. Frisk's heart pounded as a hailstorm of bullets flew across the room and cracked with those ear-shattering. metallic bangs. All he could do was run into a corner and wait for it to end.

"Bang and clear!"

A Military Police soldier threw a flashbang grenade into the room, and most of the terrorists were blinded and gunned down before they could regain their senses. The terrorists screamed as the room was painted red with their blood. Frisk heard the sound of SOULs shattering. Melty ran back to Frisk's chair and was startled to see it empty, but it didn't take him long to spot Frisk in his corner. Frisk shrieked as Melty sprinted towards him.

"Melter! Going after Frisk!" an MP solider called out. "Take him down!"

Melty pointed a pistol at Frisk, but the entire squad of MP soldiers shot him before he could fire. His entire body exploded. His blood and his melted flesh sprayed all over Frisk. The smell was revolting. Frisk convulsed at the horror of the whole thing. He felt like he was going to puke. Frisk sat down and curled up into a fetal position, almost crying.

The gunfire died down. Once all the terrorists were dead, Agent Miller walked up to Frisk and reached out his hand. "You're safe now."

Frisk ignored Miller and stared at the blood on his hands

"You killed them," Frisk breathed.

Miller looked slightly annoyed. "That's an odd way of saying thank you."

"Did you really have to kill them?"

"It was them or you."

Frisk shook his head. "N-no… The world's not like that. It's not kill or be killed."

Miller sighed. "You may be the World Master, but you're still just a kid."

Frisk teetered on the edge of delirium. He hated to see anyone die, even if they were bad.

"Look," Miller said. "I know you feel very proud of yourself for how you handled Mount Ebott, but this is the REAL world. Out here, that kind of attitude will get you killed."

"Don't kill, and don't be killed. That's the best you can strive for," Frisk whispered to himself.

Miller grabbed Frisk's arm and made him stand. "You're right. The world's not kill or be killed, but some situations are. The world's not as simple as who can be saved and who can't. You need to accept that."

_He's right, Frisk. Think about what would have happened if they hadn't killed those terrorists._

Frisk didn't want to.

"Just remember this," Frisk whispered. "They may have done bad things, and maybe they did have to die, but that doesn't mean they weren't still human."

Miller showed no reaction. He was done arguing.

Now that Melty was dead, Frisk felt his power return. He could reach his save file again! He could undo all of this! Frisk prepared to reset.

_Don't do it, Frisk!_

_What? Why?_

_What good will it do? They'll just attack you again!_

_I can warn them!_

_He may not have actually been able to reset, but their leader WAS the World Master! He'll remember everything that happened, and he'll change his strategy! They'll also know that someone helped you escape, and they might kill Asriel! They might kill YOU! If they kill you while you can't reset, you'll be dead forever! Please, don't risk it! Even more people might die!_

_But…_ Frisk sighed. Chara was right. It was too dangerous. He couldn't gamble with people's lives like that, and if he died, Chara would die too.  _You're right. I have to move on._ He smiled.  _You care about me, Chara._

_I… I'm trying to…_

With a heavy heart, Frisk created a new save point.

Miller handed Frisk his cell phone and his hidden knife. "Well,  _Mr. Pacifist_ , I'm impressed that you carry THIS around, but honesty, you might want something stronger."

Frisk silently took back his belongings.

"Why did you let them do this?!" Asriel questioned Miller.

Miller was shocked when he saw Asriel. "The hell…? Is that a monster? What's it doing here?"

"Your job! Protecting Frisk!" Asriel shouted.

"I don't know how you got through their defenses, but you have my thanks."

Asriel scowled. "Do I?"

Miller sighed. "I don't know how, but they got the drop on us. After they captured Frisk, we were able to tail them here. Thanks to Frisk, we were able to stop the problem at its source."

"You used him as bait?!"

"Of course not, but now that these terrorists are dead, both Frisk and all monsters are much safer."

"Since when did you care about monsters?" Frisk asked.

Miller looked at Frisk. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we're on the same side here. Our job is to protect you and keep the peace. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Frisk grimaced. "I don't want anyone to die."

"Neither do we."

Miller returned his attention to his troops. "Sweep the area! Seize any survivors, and eliminate any stragglers!"

"Yes, sir!"

Frisk looked around and found something of great interest in the back of the room. It was a glass capsule. Inside was a red human SOUL. Chara checked it.

_Frisk… that SOUL is empty._

Frisk gasped. It was exactly what he needed to revive Chara! He didn't even question where t came from or why it was there. He had never grabbed anything faster in his life.

Miller saw him. "What's that?"

Frisk attempted to hide it, but Miller caught his arm and took the SOUL away. He inspected it. "A red SOUL... Nice find. The Human Government should find great use for this."

_Sorry, but that belongs to Chara!_

Frisk reset to his most recent save point.

Miller handed Frisk his cell phone and his hidden knife. "Well,  _Mr. Pacifist_ , I'm impressed that you carry THIS around, but honesty, you might want something stronger."

Frisk silently took back his belongings.

"Why did you let them do this?!" Asriel questioned Miller.

Miller was shocked when he saw Asriel. "The hell…? Is that a monster? What's it doing here?"

"Your job! Protecting Frisk!" Asriel shouted.

While Asriel and Miller were arguing, Frisk snuck away and swiped the SOUL before Miller saw it. He also grabbed some vials of extracted determination that were conveniently placed next to the SOUL. He hid them in his dimensional box.

Miller returned his attention to his troops. "Sweep the area! Seize any survivors, and eliminate any stragglers… Didn't I tell you this already?! Move it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Miller and his men went about their business none the wiser.

Frisk had just witnessed hell itself, but at least something great was going to come out of it all. Chara had been trapped in Frisk's head for so long, but he was finally going to see her with his own eyes! Although… Frisk still felt so sorry for all those poor agents who died trying to defend him. He still felt kind of guilty for not going back to save them. He would never forget the bone chilling sensation of that dead agent's corpse sliding down Frisk's body as he tried to shield him, but Frisk had made his decision. He wasn't going to reset. He was going to continue.

"Why do you want that so badly?" Asriel whispered. As a former World Master, he could remember resets perfectly.

"Chara," Frisk whispered back.

"What…?"

"Asriel," Frisk whispered. "Chara isn't really dead. She's inside me, just like how you're inside that flower. With this SOUL, I can bring her back."

Asriel's mouth opened in shock. "Are you serious…? That's… that's amazing!"

"Yes, it is."

"Can she hear me?"

"Yes, she can hear you."

"… I miss you, Chara," Asriel whispered. "Even… like this."

…  _I miss him too._

"She says she misses you too."

"... well, that's nice, I guess."

"Asriel," Frisk said, "come with me. Let's save Chara!"

"Of course! But… before you do, don't you think –"

"What could possibly be more important than this?!"

"Don't you think you should shower first?"

Frisk had completely forgotten that he was covered in the blood and gore of that terrorist. He made an embarrassed smile. "Uh… yeah. I guess that would be nice!"

_I need to look good for Chara, after all!_

_What was that, Frisk?_

_N-nothing!_

That was too close.

"Also, Toriel's probably losing her mind right now," Asriel said. "You should get back to her."

"Yeah," Frisk agreed. "Asriel, you know where Chara's buried, right? Meet us there tomorrow."

"Got it... Gosh, after all these years, Chara's finally coming back."

A while later, Miller walked up to Frisk. "We'll escort you back home."

"Okay."

With the SOUL safely in his dimensional box, Frisk let the Military Police take him home.

* * *

"FRISK!" Toriel ran to Frisk as soon as he was safely delivered home. She covered her mouth in horror when she saw all the blood and melted flesh still stuck on him.

"I cannot believe anyone would do this to you!" Toriel cried. "I am so glad you are okay! A-are you okay?'

"Yes, I'm okay," Frisk assured her.

Toriel hugged him, with no concern for getting all the blood on herself. "I do not know what I would do if something happened to you. I have already lost enough children."

_Not if I can help it,_ Frisk thought.

Frisk hugged Toriel back. "I'm not going to die. I promise."

The two of them silently hugged for a while. Frisk was so happy that he had lived to see her again.

After a long hug, they parted. "Heh, no offense," Toriel said, "but you really need to clean up."

"Yeah, I know."

"How did that happen? You did not… have to hurt anyone, did you?"

"No, the soldiers did it."

"Well, I would not hold it against you if you did. You are worth protecting, you hear me? I know I told you to talk out everything. You should never want to kill anyone, but remember that even I had to use force once. It is how we met, actually. That horrible flower was attacking you, but I saved you from it with my fire magic."

_Poor Asriel,_ Chara thought.

"I guess you did…" Frisk said. "You also fireballed Asgore when he was about to fight me."

"Y-yes..."

_She's… she's fireballed her whole family!_ Chara realized.

_Wait… did she fireball you, too?_

_Well, if you count when she fireballed you, then yes. I felt the pain too, you know._

Toriel laughed guiltily. "I… guess I used a little too much tough love."

"About that flower," Frisk said, "maybe he wasn't really so bad. Maybe he… umm… just needs a talking to."

"I am not quite sure. That flower was a miserable creature."

Oh, dear. Asriel was going to be tough to explain when Frisk brought him home.

Toriel smiled. "But enough of that! The important thing is that you are safe and unharmed!"

Frisk nodded. "Well… I'm going to shower now."

"Alright. I will make you some more pie while you do that."

"Thanks, Toriel."

"Of course, Frisk."

Frisk left to shower. It had been a very terrifying day, but tomorrow was going to be much better.


	4. Not Dead

After a refreshing shower, some delicious pie, and a good night's sleep, Frisk woke up the next day filled with determination. He wasted no time getting ready, putting on a fresh set of clothes and joining Toriel for breakfast.

Frisk and Toriel sat at the dining room table together, eating some leftover pie from yesterday. "So, Frisk," Toriel said, "if you do not mind me asking, what are you going to do today?"

"I'm going to… see some friends," Frisk answered.

Toriel looked worried. "Are you sure it is safe for you to go out so soon after…"

"I'll be fine, Toriel. After all, I can't let those terrorists take over my life."

"… you are right. You can take care of yourself."

Frisk finished eating and got ready to leave. "They're expecting me soon, actually."

"Oh, all right. Do you require transportation?"

"No, I've got."

"Very well."

Frisk walked away and opened the front door. He looked back at Toriel before leaving. "I'll come back safe."

"See you later, Frisk… Be good, alright?"

Frisk smiled. "Of course."

Frisk made a new save point and headed for Mount Ebott. He looked around and saw even more security than before. The number of sentries had been at least tripled. He wondered if they would be able to follow him outside the city. He actually hoped they would. After the day before, he had suddenly become grateful for their presence. They had gone from making Frisk feel uneasy to making Frisk feel safe.

Frisk kept moving and reached Mount Ebott. The once heavily fortified gate surrounding it had been abandoned, and Frisk was able to pass through without a fuss.

Want to take the short way? Chara asked, referring to the hole in the mountain that happened to lead straight to her burial site.

I would rather walk this time, if you don't mind.

Haha, I was just kidding! Take your time! I've already waited a year. An extra hour or so won't kill me!

I see what you did there.

Chara giggled inside Frisk's , she was so adorable!

Frisk traveled through the underground. He felt a sense of nostalgia as he walked through it, and yet, it was all so different. The whole place had become so empty. Frisk reached and walked inside the old MTT Resort. It was eerie seeing such a nice hotel just completely abandoned. Frisk looked at the Royal Memorial Fountain. Fortunately, the water - which used to spray outside the fountain for some incredible reason - was turned off, but Mettaton's statue was still there.

I love Mettaton, Frisk thought. But this is one of the most disrespectful things I've ever seen! That fountain was built in memory of you and Asriel, and he had the nerve to causally slap a statue of himself on it!

Indeed, Chara said. However, this issue is irrelevant to the task at hand.

But it's so arrogant and insensitive! I'm gonna have to talk to him about this!

Just keep moving, Frisk.

Oh, alright… You won't be dead much longer anyway.

Frisk left the hotel and moved through Hotland. As he walked, Chara continued to keep him company.

In hindsight, I'm not sure what was so bad about this place, Chara thought. Sure, it was dreary without sunlight, and it was overcrowded. However, it was our home. It was safe from the outside world, away from the humans. Back when I lived here, I wanted to free the monsters so badly, but now I'm starting to wonder if they were better off here all along.

Everything will be fine, Frisk assured her. Not all humans are like Malcom or those terrorists. There are humans that care about monsters. Humans and monsters can live peacefully.

I hope so...

As Frisk walked by the river, he saw a familiar boat with a familiar robed figure standing on it: River Person. Frisk walked up to them, bewildered. "River Person? What are you still doing here?"

"I am the River Person," they answered. "I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?"

"Uh, you know the barrier's broken, right?" Frisk asked.

"… oh, so that's why I haven't had any passengers lately."

Frisk groaned. Really…

OH MY GOD! Chara screamed. IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR!

"You've been down here this whole time? All alone?" Frisk asked with more than a little concern.

"Not alone," the River Person answered. "People still linger."

"Who…?"

"Every now and then, I see people not unlike yourself pass by."

"You mean, humans?"

"Perhaps."

What the hell are humans doing here? Chara growled.

I don't know, Frisk answered, but that's not why we're here.

"Hey, River Person," Frisk said. "Mind giving me one last ride?"

"Of course not. Come on in."

Frisk went into the River Peron's boat, and they were off. The boat quickly sped through the river that ran through most of the Underground.

"Tra la la," the River Person sang. "Won't you sing with me?"

Frisk wasn't the greatest singer, but he gave it a shot. He closed his eyes and sang "tr-tra la la. Tra la la…"

Don't quit your day job, Frisk.

Hey, it was good enough for Shyren!

Haha, I was kidding! You have a lovely voice, Frisk! Very attractive!

Frisk blushed. Are you flirting with me?

Yes! You've corrupted me with your flirty ways! Hahaha…! Hey, lighten up! I was just joking with you! I wasn't serious! Don't worry about it!

Y-yes, of course!

… Frisk kind of wished she wasn't joking…

"Tra la la," the River Person sang. "Humans, monsters… Flowers."

The River Person said the strangest things.

Soon, the boat arrived at its destination. The River Person dropped off Frisk at Snowdin. Frisk thanked them and moved through the abandoned town. After walking through Snowdin and the Ruins, Frisk reached the flower patch where Chara was buried. Asriel was there waiting for him. Frisk retrieved the unclaimed SOUL from his dimensional box.

"Is this really happening?" Asriel asked. "I thought Chara was gone forever. I didn't think I would ever see her again."

Frisk pulled a shovel out of his dimensional box and started digging. "You're just about to!"

"Golly, dimensional boxes are really convenient," Asriel remarked.

Asriel helped Frisk dig using his vines. Together, they dug up Chara's body. She was wrapped up in like a mummy. No, she was a mummy. Chara's body was surprisingly well-preserved. Frisk kept unwrapping and revealed her face. She looked just like she did in the photo.

Chara, ummm… how do I get you inside?

Just hold my hand.

Frisk did so. Her hand was so cold…

Are you ready?

Do it, Frisk… fill me with determination!

Frisk smiled. Knowing that Frisk is about to fill you with determination… fills you with determination!

They laughed at each other's bad jokes.

"What's so funny?" Asriel impatiently questioned. "Save her already!"

"I'm going!"

Frisk opened the capsule and put the SOUL inside Chara's body, and then he pulled out a syringe filled with the extracted determination that he had stolen from the terrorists. He pressed the needle into Chara's body.

I guess this is it, Frisk. See you… outside…

See you soon, Chara.

Frisk injected Chara with determination. After that, all he could do was wait.

Chara...?

There was no response.

The next few moments were some of the longest in Frisk's life. He stared at Chara's closed eyes and prayed that this would work. Frisk began to panic. What if it didn't work? What if he had lost Chara forever? The mere thought of this possibility filled Frisk with dread, but he clung to his hope that Chara would awaken. It hadn't even been that long, just a few seconds, but it had already felt like an eternity. Eventually, at last, Frisk felt a pulse. Chara gasped as she took her first breath, and then Chara's eyes opened and stared back at him.

"Frisk…"

Frisk was filled with joy. Chara was back! Frisk had saved her from death itself! After years of existing as a spirit, she could finally live again! Toriel and Asgore were going to be so happy!

Also, she was even cuter in person than she was in the photo. Frisk was entranced by the life in Chara's pretty red eyes.

For the first time, Frisk spoke to her out loud. "Chara..."

Chara smiled. "Uh… I'm happy to see you too, Frisk."

Frisk realized he was staring, but he didn't care. He smiled back. "I'm just happy that you're alive."

"All thanks to you," Chara told him.

Chara looked at Asriel. "You too, Brother. If it weren't for you, Frisk and I would both be dead now."

"I was just protecting my family," Asriel responded. He stared at Chara, frowning. "I… I'm not nearly as happy about this as I should be."

Chara frowned back. "Asriel…"

Frisk helped Chara stand. She struggled to maintain her footing.

"Sorry," Chara apologized. "It's been a long time since I've had my own body."

"Can you walk?" Frisk asked.

"Let me try." Chara took a step before wobbling and falling. Frisk caught her before she hit the ground.

"Let me help you," Frisk said.

"No, I can do this."

With renewed determination, Chara tried again. She stumbled, but she did not fall over. Soon, she was walking just as well as anyone.

"See? I just needed a little warm-up!" Chara exclaimed.

Frisk smiled. "You won't let a little thing like being dead stop you!"

Chara smiled back at Frisk, and she walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around him in a big hug.

Frisk blushed. "Chara…"

"You're so warm, Frisk," Chara whispered.

Frisk's blush deepened, and Chara noticed. She immediately let go of him and apologized profusely. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! It's just that it's been a long time since I've felt anyone's touch, so-"

Frisk recovered from his embarrassment and laughed it off. He hugged her again. "It's okay."

Chara smiled. "Thank you…"

Asriel joined in the hug. "I still can't believe that you're back, Chara."

Frisk looked at him. "Asriel… One day, we'll save you too."

Asriel just nodded.

They didn't want to let go, but they had to at some point. After they did, Frisk retrieved something from his dimensional box: Chara's heart locket. He handed it to her. "Here, this belongs to you."

Chara took the locket and stared at it for a while. She stared at it pensively, remembering old times. Tears welled up in her red eyes.

"F-Frisk… I…. I don't deserve this! I don't deserve to live again! When I fell underground, I thought it was the end for me. I thought for sure I was going to die there, all alone, but then… somebody came. Asriel saved my life, and how did I repay him? I led him to his death." Chara sniffled. "I didn't even blame myself. I blamed the humans. Even as we died, I told Asriel that his death was proof that I was right about humanity. Just because he was a monster, they assumed he had killed me, and they attacked him without mercy. I told him that if he had just fought back, he could have survived. I died cursing humanity, and telling Asriel that… th-that…" Chara's tears were running down her face. "I told him we should have slaughtered every last one of those humans!" Chara fell to her knees, sobbing.

Chara's sorrow spread to Frisk. He felt terrible for Chara, but he didn't know what to do. Chara had often expressed regret over her actions, but she usually didn't get this emotional. It must have been her new SOUL. Chara was suddenly being bombarded with emotions that she couldn't have felt before.

Asriel placed a vine on Chara's shoulder. "Chara… just like me, you did bad things. But despite that, I'm sure Asriel would still love you. I know he would."

Chara's tears kept coming. "I'm so sorry, Asriel. I betrayed you! I took advantage of your love for me, to make you kill for me. I d-don't th-think… I don't think I ever even cared about you!"

"Chara…"

Chara started laughing, while crying. "Ha… Hahaha! How could I have? I used you like a tool, and I broke you!"

"Chara, stop-"

"AHAHAHA! I'm just like all the humans I hated so much! You were nothing to me! You were useful to me! You were just a pawn for-"

"That's not true!" Asriel yelled. "That's never how you thought of me! I think I would have known if you were just pretending to like me. I never would have loved you as much as I did if you were just trying to manipulate me. Our plan was to get six human SOULs, and I agreed to it. When we got to the village, you lashed out because you didn't want me to die. You always cared about me! Just like our lockets say, we'll be best friends forever."

Chara clutched her locket, calmer, but still crying. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Asriel. You said it yourself: I wasn't really the greatest person, was I?"

Asriel pursed his lips. "I did say that, and I stand by what I said. But, do you remember where I was when I said it? Right here, as I was visiting your grave. Even after everything that happened, I still missed you."

Chara sighed, and she slowly stood back up. "Okay, Brother. I'll try again. This time, I'll be more like Frisk… That's what you've always wanted, right? A friend like Frisk."

Asriel just looked at Chara sadly. He couldn't really argue, because that's exactly what he had said. After saying that Chara wasn't the greatest person, Asriel went on to say that Frisk was the type of friend he wished he always had. Of course, Asriel had no idea that Chara was listening. Even without a SOUL, Chara felt so horrible when her own best friend had said that.

Frisk figured out what to do. He hugged Chara again. He didn't say anything; there was nothing more to say that he hadn't already said. He just held Chara until her tears were gone.

"How are you feeling?" Frisk asked after a while.

"A bit better now," Chara answered. "Heh… Sorry, Asriel. Since when was I the crybaby?"

"It's okay to cry," Asriel told her. "I don't think you would be human if you didn't."

"Mhm. Maybe I shouldn't have just laughed everything off… Laughter hides the pain, but it doesn't get rid of it…"

As awkward as the timing was, Frisk handed Chara her knife. "Ummm… I believe this belongs to you too. Just be careful with it…"

Chara looked at him with a sad expression. "I... don't want it right now, but please keep holding on to it for me. It was a gift from my father."

Half-concerned and half-relieved, Frisk put the worn dagger, Chara's gardening tool, back in his pocket. He was glad that he was keeping Chara away from a dangerous object, but he was also alarmed that it was necessary to do so.

"… hey," Chara said, "let's go see Mother."

Frisk perked up. "Yeah. Toriel is going to be so happy to see both of you."

"I don't know," Asriel muttered. "I'm still not sure if I want them to see me like this."

"You're going, Asriel. Even in your current state, they'll be overjoyed to see you."

"I won't go if Asriel doesn't go!" Chara declared. "It wouldn't be right. I caused Asriel's death. Why should I be the only one that gets to see them again?"

Asriel sighed. "Fine, I'll do it for Chara's sake."

You should do it for YOUR sake, but...

Frisk sighed. "Close enough..."

With Chara's body restored, the three of them began the walk home.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel stood before Toriel's home. Chara and Asriel were nervous, but they were determined to do this. Frisk knocked on the door, and Toriel answered.

"Welcome back, my… Oh! Who is your…" When she laid her eyes on Chara, Toriel was dead silent.

"Yes, it's really me, Mother," Chara said. "It's me, Chara."

"I… I must be dreaming…" Toriel pinched herself.

"This is real," Frisk told her. "I'm sorry I never told you, but the truth is, Chara's actually been inside me for a while. My determination brought her back."

Toriel shook her head in disbelief. "I am sorry, but, how is that even possible?"

"When I fell underground, I landed on the flowers you buried her under," Frisk explained. "We don't really understand why, but apparently, my determination awakened her from death."

Toriel stared at Chara, still trying to process what she was seeing.

Chara smiled. "Mother, I know I'm a Dreemurr, but you're not dreaming."

That did it. Toriel burst into tears and held Chara in her arms. "Oh, Chara! My dear child! I thought you were dead."

"I was," Chara said, "but not anymore."

"She's not the only one," Frisk revealed. He pointed to Asriel.

Instinctively, Toriel protectively shoved Chara behind her. A fireball burned bright in her hand, and her eyes were full of hostility. "What are YOU doing here?! I shall not allow you to touch my child!"

Frisk ran between Toriel and Asriel. "Stop! That's Asriel! Your son!"

"Y-yes," Asriel nervously said.

Toriel put out her fireball. She looked very confused. "What…? First Chara, and now Asriel? How? HOW?!"

"It's… kind of complicated," Frisk said. "Long story short, Alphys revived him with determination. He's soulless right now, but I'm going to help him!"

"Soulless? What does that mean?"

"I can't feel love or compassion," Asriel explained. "But… I remember what it's like, if that makes sense. I can't actually love you right now, but I miss the times when I did."

"Th-this is a lot to take in," Toriel said. "First, Frisk almost died, and now Chara and Asriel are back from the dead, except Asriel is a flower apparently, and he lacks a soul..." Toriel looked dizzy. "I… I think I need to… lie down for a moment…"

Toriel fainted, falling gracefully to the ground. The three of them looked down at her.

"We… we broke her!" Chara exclaimed. "She couldn't handle so many feels at once! I'm sorry, Mom!"

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Asriel shouted.

Frisk laughed. "She'll be fine! Better than ever, in fact!"

"G-go on inside, my children," Toriel said woozily. "I will… catch up with you."

"Umm… okay, but don't take too long," Frisk said.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel went inside the house.

"So," Chara said, "what should we do now?"

"I'm not sure," Frisk answered.

Chara held her stomach. "Wait, I know. How about lunch? I haven't eaten in years!"

Frisk smirked. "Ah, yes. I'm getting hungry myself, actually."

They went into the kitchen. Frisk walked to the refrigerator. "I think we have some -"

Chara ran in front of Frisk and opened the refrigerator. She immediately grabbed a bar of chocolate and started eating. She looked like she was in heaven.

Frisk smiled. "Okay, Chara. Just this once, you can have chocolate for lunch."

Chara laughed. "I know I need to eat something healthy! My body needs nutrition after being dead for so long!"

Frisk made sandwiches for Chara and himself, and they sat down at the kitchen table. Incidentally, the soil in Asriel's flower pot also served as his lunch. While eating his sandwich, Frisk affectionately sprinkled Asriel with some water.

"I can water myself, Frisk," Asriel complained.

"I know.'

"I'm so sorry, Asriel," Chara apologized again.

"You already said that," Asriel replied, "and I already said that I forgive you."

Toriel entered the room. "What are you talking about?"

Frisk froze.

'It's okay," Chara said. "Let's tell her. She needs to know. Mother, this story is going to be hard to hear, and hard to tell…"

They told Toriel the true story behind Chara and Asriel's death. They told her how Chara had poisoned herself, and how Chara had tried to make Asriel kill humans in the name of the monsters' freedom.

"Chara," Toriel said quietly, "you really made Asriel do that?"

"Chara didn't force me!" Asriel insisted. "I agreed to her plan! I understand if you hate her, but please don't blame everything on her!"

"I'm so sorry," Chara ruefully apologized. "Asriel died because of me, and Asgore became a killer because of me. I was a rotten child. You loved me. You adopted me into your family, and I destroyed it. I don't expect you to forgive me."

"... we are responsible as well," Toriel said. "When you arrived in the underground, we all thought you were the angel prophesied in the delta rune, so we charged a mere child with a responsibility to save us all, only because some fairy tale said so. You were only trying to live up to our impossible and unfair expectations. I'm sorry, Chara, my child."

Chara starting crying again. "I didn't want to let you down. I… didn't climb the mountain for a very happy reason. I had nothing, but you gave me everything. All I did for you in return was poison Dad. I couldn't just sit around! I had to do something! You were all counting on me to save you, but I couldn't. I'm a failure."

"You never owed me anything," Toriel told her. "I still love you, my child."

Toriel hugged Chara. Slowly, Chara hugged back.

"I… I love you too, Mother."

Frisk was so happy to see Toriel reunited with Chara. He was already tired of seeing Chara sad. He just wanted to make her happy.

Toriel let go of her and laughed. "My apologizes, but.. you have the same problem Frisk had yesterday."

Frisk realized that Chara did kind of smell. Her green and yellow sweater and brown pants had seen better days. Yet, underneath the stench of death, Frisk could also smell the pleasant aroma of the golden flowers that she had been buried under.

Chara smiled. "Yeah, I haven't changed my clothes or showered in years. Sorry about that."

"Okay, Chara, I think you've played that one enough now," Frisk teased.

"Says the guy who pet Lesser Dog about a hundred times!" Chara retorted.

"Point taken."

"I still have some of your clothes around here," Toriel said. "Your father and I never truly got over your deaths."

"Mom," Asriel said. "I'm sorry I let this happen. I should have talked Chara out of her plan, but instead, I agreed to it. I even... helped Chara kill herself. I wasn't the greatest brother…"

"How about this," Toriel said. "Let's all just agree not to blame anyone. What is done is done. Let's put it all behind us."

"Sounds good to me," Frisk said.

"... cery well," Chara reluctantly agreed.

"You go ahead and shower, Chara," Toriel said. "I will get your clothes ready."

"Alright, thank you." Chara left to shower.

Frisk looked at Chara fondly as she left. It occurred to him that this was the first time they had been separated ever since they met. It was an odd feeling. As much as he cared about her, he was honestly glad to finally, well, get some space. That said, he looked forward to spending time with her in her true form.

"I guess I'll just go to my room now," Frisk said.

He left and took Asriel with him. They went inside his room. Frisk sat on his bed.

"Hey, Frisk," Asriel said. "How's Chara been this past year?"

"As good as anyone can be while trapped in someone else's body, I guess."

"It sounds like you really helped her. She… was a little upset when she died. She used to hate humanity so much. I almost can't believe you changed her mind."

"I believe in her. She is a great person, Asriel. I'm so glad I found her."

Asriel smiled mischievously. "So… when are you going to ask her out?"

Frisk was startled. "Wh-what?!"

"Don't play dumb! You don't think I noticed the way you looked at her when she came back to life? The way you blushed when she hugged you? The way you were just looking at her? I don't have a SOUL, yet even I can tell! You're totally crushing on her!"

Frisk blushed. "It's really that obvious? Then, does she…?"

"No, I don't think she has any idea."

"Do you… think she likes me too?"

"Not sure. She just got a new SOUL. Give her some time. In any case, you're the one who's had her in your head this whole time. What do you think?"

"W-well… I know she likes me. I just don't know if she likes me… that way, and I'm afraid to ask if she does. I don't want to make things awkward between us."

Asriel laughed. "Oh, really? You are afraid to flirt with someone?"

"Hey, it's different when it's with someone I'm actually interested in!"

"Heh, I guess it would kind of suck to mess things up with someone you've spent literally every waking moment of an entire year with. Also, isn't she kind of your adoptive sister?"

Frisk cringed. Why did he have to go there? He shook his head. "No, Toriel never adopted me. I just stay with her."

"Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say."

His face flushed. "Oh, screw you!"

"I mean, did you seriously tell her not to adopt you just because you have a thing for Chara?"

Frisk sighed. "No, it's not that."

"Oh, really? What is it, then?"

He smiled. "Honestly, do I really need parents after everything I've been through?"

"Ha! You've got a point there! But, come on, let's be honest. It's totally because you think Chara's hot!"

Frisk snickered, and he playfully nudged Asriel's face. "Bad flower! Bad!"

"You know I'm right!" Asriel exclaimed.

There actually was another reason, but Frisk didn't dare say it. Toriel couldn't be his mother. Frisk had a mother, and she was dead. Perhaps he needed to learn to let go and move on; he knew that's what Mother would have wanted. Still, that's how he felt, at least for the time being.

"Although," Frisk said, "if Chara and I, uh, ever..." He blushed. "If we ever... get married, then Toriel can be my mother!"

Asriel sneered. "You dog. You should just keep it pure, like I did! Chara and I are best friends forever, and that's all we need to be!"

Frisk realized that Asriel might have known Chara better than he did. Unlike him, Frisk had never known Chara when she was truly alive. "Hey, what does Chara like to do?"

Asriel grew excited. "Well… just off the top of my head… she likes chocolate, she likes drawing, she likes gardening, she likes reading… and she likes to scare me with that creepy face of hers!"

Trying to imagine that last one made Frisk smile. "How could Chara scare anyone? She's too cute to be scary!"

"Yeah, it's both cute and scary! Ask her to show you sometime!"

"You can do a pretty scary face too, at least in that flower."

"Yes, I learned from the best." Asriel made his creepy face, the one where it looked like he was going to bite Frisk's head off in sadistic glee. Frisk jumped. It reminded him of some… bad times.

Asriel turned his face back to normal. He looked apologetic. "Sorry…"

Frisk smiled. "It's okay. It just… surprised me, that's all. Anyway, thanks for the information, even though none of it was news to me."

"Well screw you too!"

Frisk laughed. "It took a while, though. When we met, Chara was happy to help me survive, but it wasn't until we got to the surface when she really opened up to me. She never even told me her name until sometime after the barrier had been broken. Hehe, I guess I can't judge her, since I never bothered to tell anyone my name until you asked!"

That seemed to strike a chord in Asriel. He smiled. "Ah, yes. Chara was always slow to warm up to people, including me. She's very shy. It takes a while to earn her trust."

Frisk thought of something, and he grew serious. "Asriel, I had a feeling it was her, but if I had known for sure, even if she didn't want me to… I might have told you."

"It wouldn't have mattered," Asriel replied. "I still would have stayed out of your sight, and I understand exactly why she didn't want to tell me."

Frisk grew sad. He hugged Asriel's flower pot to his chest. "I want to save you too, Asriel."

"H-hey now. Don't get all mushy on me. You need to be happy, for Chara's sake."

"Yeah, you're right," Frisk whispered. "But can you promise me something? Please, don't give up on yourself just yet."

"Okay, I promise that I'll... give it a chance. I trust you, Frisk."

"Thank you."

To take his mind of things, Frisk turned on his TV. On it was a news report of the attack that had happened the day before.

"Yesterday, people in this very street panicked as anti-monster terrorists suddenly started firing. The target of this terror attack was none other than the World Master, Frisk. Frisk's reset ability was blocked by the terrorist's leader, who had overdosed on extracted determination. Fortunately, no civilians were injured in the attack, and brave officers of the Military Police heroically saved Frisk from the terrorists. All of the terrorists who took part in this attack have been confirmed captured or killed, including their leader. We at Ebott News remind you that unauthorized injection of extracted determination can be fatal, and is a criminal offense. "

At least no civilians had been hurt. Frisk was so glad, but he still felt bad about the Military Police agents who had died. They died to save him. Were their lives really worth his? Frisk had to remind himself that the attack was about far more than just him. If it weren't for the Military Police, those terrorists would have murdered innocent monsters. Frisk wished that it hadn't come to violence, but he was eternally grateful for the Military Police's sacrifices.

A while later, Chara entered the room. She had a fresh change of clothes. They looked identical to what she had been wearing before.

"After all those years, you don't want to mix it up?" Asriel asked.

"What? This is my favorite outfit!" Chara exclaimed.

Frisk knew how she felt. He happened to be wearing his favorite blue and magenta stripped sweater. It wasn't the exact same one that he wore when he first went to Mount Ebott. He had outgrown that one, but he got another one just like it.

Chara sat down next to Frisk on his bed. "Frisk, I cannot thank you enough. I'm so glad I got to see Mother again."

Frisk was happy to see Chara happy. "I'm glad you got to see her again too."

"There's still one thing I don't get," Asriel said. "How did those terrorists get their hands on an empty SOUL? And not only that, but how were they so well-armed?"

Frisk didn't know.

"What were they even doing with that SOUL?" Asriel asked.

"It must have been their previous source of determination," Frisk wildly guessed. At the time, he was too excited about saving Chara to care, but now that he thought about it, "I found some vials of extracted determination right next to it, which was fortunate. I needed them for Chara's revival."

The SOUL was right by where Frisk was being held, too. It was all… very convenient. Perhaps too convenient.

It's almost like someone wanted me to find it.

"And whose SOUL was that anyway?" Asriel wondered.

Frisk frowned. "Yeah, that SOUL must have belonged to someone once, but… I'm pretty sure they're dead now, as harsh as that may sound. I don't who they were or how they died, but regardless, I thank them for making this possible."

They held a moment of silence for the human they never knew.

"I hope I'm worth it," Chara said.

Frisk smiled. "You're worth it to me."

Chara blushed. "Th-thank you, Frisk."

"Now that's the Frisk I know," Asriel whispered to him.

"So… what do you want to do now?" Frisk asked Chara, ignoring Asriel's ridicule.

"I just want to stay here with you guys," Chara answered.

"Okay. We have a lot ahead of us. Tomorrow, we'll have to introduce you to everyone else. We… don't have to tell them everything…"

"Yes, that's probably best," Chara said.

Frisk kept smiling. "Don't worry! I'm sure that everyone will like you!"

Chara frowned. "I don't think anyone would like me if they knew what I've done."

Frisk smiled faded a bit. "Chara, you already have three people that say otherwise."

Chara still looked sad, but there was also hope in her eyes. "Alright, Frisk. I trust you, and I'll try to be a good person."

Chara was obviously still filled with guilt, and Frisk didn't blame her. Chara carried an immense burden; Frisk could only do so much for her. It was going to take a lot of time for Chara's wounds to heal. Any decent person would have been scarred for life living with what she had done, but…

"I believe in you," Frisk told her. "You were never a bad person, and you'll be a better person now!"

"You're too nice, Frisk."

Frisk's smile returned to full strength. "Well, it's kind of my thing."

Chara smiled back. "Thank you."

They spent the rest of the day together.


	5. Greetings

"Hey, Sis! What'cha drawing there?

"Ah! Is that a… a monster? Why does he look so… you know… not evil?"

"You… really like monsters, don't you?"

"N-no, don't worry! I won't tell Dad! Your secret's safe with me!"

"I love you, Sister!"

* * *

Frisk was once again awakened by the smell of cinnamon and butterscotch. He smiled.

_Ah, Toriel. How are we supposed to stay healthy if you keep spoiling us like this?_

Frisk got out of his couch. Toriel didn't have any spare beds yet, so Frisk had insisted that Chara should get to sleep in his bed. Frisk checked on Chara, who was still asleep.

"I love you too, Brother," Chara whispered in her sleep.

_Aw, look at her… She's dreaming of Asriel. How adorable!_

Asriel was asleep as well. Frisk decided to let them sleep. He took the slice of pie that had Toriel left him and walked to the kitchen. Toriel was sitting at the kitchen table. Frisk joined her.

Toriel smiled. "Good morning, Frisk!"

Frisk smiled back. "Good morning, Toriel!"

"Is Chara still asleep? She has always been a night owl!"

"Is she? I know she went to bed sometime after I did. I think she was doing something with Asriel while I fell asleep…"

Frisk thought of something that made him uneasy. What if Asriel had told Chara that Frisk…

"Well, I am glad you are all getting along!" Toriel happily exclaimed.

_He… he wouldn't, would he? No, I'm being ridiculous. I'm sure they were just catching up! They must have missed each other so much._

"So, Frisk," Toriel said. "you said you wanted to introduce Chara and Asriel to everyone, did you not?"

Frisk returned his attention to Toriel. "Yeah… How are we going to explain it, though?"

Toriel thought deeply. "Hmm... I guess you might not want to tell them everything you told me."

"Probably not…"

"People WILL recognize Chara sooner or later. She was awfully famous back in the day, and no one has ever seen a monster like Asriel. Indeed, it will not take them long to figure out that Asriel is not really a monster at all. People are going to ask all sorts of questions about him."

"I'll just introduce them to my friends for now," Frisk said. "We'll try to keep a low profile."

"Okay! I will come with you! And I have already invited one person to join us!"

"Really? Who?"

Toriel giggled. "You shall see."

Chara entered the kitchen, carrying Asriel in a flower pot.

"Good morning!" Frisk greeted.

Chara smiled back. "Good morning, Frisk!" Chara sat down, set Asriel on the table, and ate her pie.

"… it's delicious as always, Mother," Chara said with a bittersweet tone.

"Only the best for my children!" Toriel replied.

"Chara, are you ready for today?" Frisk asked.

"Yes…" She smiled at him. "As long as you're with me."

Frisk swore that the temperature in the room had shot up. He knew that she hadn't meant to sound romantic, but still…

… i _t's possible that I may have a problem…_

Frisk calmed himself and smiled back. "Yes, we'll do this together."

Toriel smiled. "Aw, look at you two!"

Asriel grinned. "Yeah, just two platonic friends getting along!"

_Asriel..._

Someone knocked on the door. Toriel's guest had arrived.

"Knock, knock," a familiar voice called.

Toriel grinned. "Who's there?"

"Toriel."

"Toriel who?"

"Toriel's best friend!"

Toriel opened the door and hugged Sans. "Aw, you are so sweet."

Asriel was not pleased.

"They sure get along well, don't they?" Asriel whispered. "I wonder if they'll ever..."

Frisk laughed. "Nah, I think they're just really good friends."

Chara frowned. "I'm... not sure how I'd feel about that."

Frisk frowned too. "I know what you mean, and I wasn't even around when they were together. It makes me sad, but I don't blame Toriel. She and Asgore are on somewhat good terms. I can't ask for more than that."

Chara sighed. "Another consequence of my actions..."

"HELLO!" another familiar voice shouted.

"Oh, yeah," Sans said. "Papyrus came too."

"I heard we're meeting new friends!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"Yes!" Toriel answered. She let them inside and introduced them. "Sans, Papyrus, please meet my long lost children, Asriel and Chara!"

Sans looked at Toriel like she was crazy. "Uh… what?"

Asriel and Chara both looked nervous.

"Hey! I know you!" Papyrus told Asriel. "Fl… Flow… Flowery, right?"

"Um… yeah," Asriel said. "That's me. I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower."

"No, you're Asriel!" Frisk insisted. He felt hurt. Asriel had promised not to give up! Why couldn't Asriel accept that he was still Asriel?

"Hey… Tori…" Sans said. "Last I heard, your son was a goat, not a flower…"

"I wanna be a flower!" Papyrus exclaimed. "Teach me!"

"No," Asriel sad. "No, you don't. Trust me."

"Seriously, how could that possibly be Asriel?" Sans persisted.

Asriel looked especially nervous around Sans. "It's c-complicated…" he answered. "You know how at funerals we spread the dead's dust on their favorite object so their essence will live on inside that object? It's kind of like that, except I'm in a flower, and I have enough determination to keep living."

"Huh…" Sans said. "You know… you look familiar to me, too."

Asriel shuddered.

Sans dimmed his eyes and stared at Asriel. "Hmm… that expression…"

"Wh-what about it?"

"S-Sans, what are you doing?" Frisk cut in. "You're scaring him."

"…Ah, nothing," Sans said. The light returned to his eyes. Frisk wasn't sure what that was about.

"So, the new human's your child too?" Papyrus asked Toriel. "Is she a clone of Frisk?"

Chara introduced herself. "Greetings. I am Chara. I am not… a clone of Frisk, but Toriel is my adoptive mother. Long ago, she and Asgore adopted me into their family. They raised me alongside Asriel as if I were their own child, but then I… died of a terminal illness. However, Frisk's determination was able to awaken me from death."

"Well…" Sans said. "I guess you can say that Frisk  _de-terminated_  you!"

Everyone but Papyrus laughed… a little.

"Sans! Even for you, that was weak!" Papyrus yelled. "Let's just introduce ourselves to the nice human, okay?"

"I'm sorry, where are our manners?" Sans apologized. "Hey, Chara. I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton."

"And I'm the Great Papyrus!" Papyrus exclaimed.

Chara bowed. "I am honored to make your acquaintance."

Frisk noticed something unusual about Chara's tone. She was acting extremely formal, using a style of speech not unlike Toriel's. Chara was normally playful and carefree around Frisk, but now she seemed the opposite of that. Maybe that's how she was around strangers... It was also really cute…

Sans laughed. "Kid, I know you're royalty, but you don't have to act all fancy around friends!"

"My apologies," Chara replied.

"Don't worry, kid," Sans told her. "Any friend of Frisk is a friend of mine! You don't have to act all  _dead_  serious."

Chara made a faint smile. "Heh, okay. I'll try to  _liven_  up."

Sans looked pleased; Papyrus did not.

"NO! WHY...?!" Papyrus grieved. "Well, despite your encouragement of my brother's terrible sense of humor, new friends are always welcome! I'll have to make you some spaghetti sometime!"

Frisk saw Chara hide a look of dread. He didn't blame her. Papyrus's cooking was still barley edible… if even that. Perhaps it would have helped if Papyrus had actually tried his own cooking…

"I, uh… look forward to that!" Chara said behind a forced smile.

"I guess we should get going," Frisk said. "Alphys already knows. I'll call her and see if she's available."

Frisk dialed Alphys's number. She didn't pick up. Frisk sighed as a notification from his social media popped up.

_Ah! Frisk's calling me! Probably to ask about our SUPER SECRET project! But I haven't made any progress! :(_

_What do I tell him!? I hate talking on the phone lol!_

Frisk made a post.  _It's okay, Alphys. ^_^_

_EEK!_

Alphys called Frisk. "I'm s-sorry, Frisk! Undyne and I may have… gotten a little sidetracked…"

"Alphys, I already found him!"

"WHAT?!" a distant voice yelled.

Undyne picked up the phone. "You found Asriel?! Awesome! I'm gonna tell Asgore! You should get over here, NOW!"

"Undyne, wait…!"

Undyne hung up. So much for being discreet…

Frisk looked at everyone and smiled. "Okay, I guess Asgore will be there too!"

Chara and Asriel grew tense, and Toriel did not look thrilled.

"AWESOME!" Papyrus exclaimed, totally unaware of their apprehension. "Let's go introduce our new friends!"

'What could possibly go wrong?" Sans asked. "Nothing's wrong with being undead. We're skeletons, after all." Sans winked. "Just don't eat anyone's brains, okay?"

"Of course not," Chara said as if Sans was completely serious.

"Umm… that was a joke, kid."

"R-right…"

Frisk grinned. "They were only mostly dead! But they got better!"

"If you say so," Sans replied. "Nothing weird about bringing the dead back… nothing at all…"

"…Is something wrong, Sans?"

"Nothing at all, buddy!"

Sans was clearly hiding something behind his perpetual smile, but Frisk had no idea what it was. He decided not to pry.

"Hey, Chara," Toriel said. "Mind if I carry Asriel?"

"Of course not! Here!" Chara gave Asriel to his mother.

Toriel gently stoked Asriel's petals. "I am sorry that I did not recognize you sooner, my child, but I can tell now. You really are my son. Do not ever think otherwise."

"…Alright," Asriel said. "Well, let's get going. Alphys and the others are waiting for us."

"Right," Frisk agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

They walked outside into the streets of Surface Home and headed for Alphys's lab. It was the morning rush, so there was a large crowd. Frisk noticed that there were more humans than usual. Recent events must have sparked a surge in their curiosity. Chara's normally rosy cheeks turned pale. She clutched Frisk's arm and hid behind him.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked her. "Are you scared of crowds?"

"The crowd is judging me for my sins," Chara claimed.

Frisk couldn't help but giggle. "Don't be ridiculous! They don't even know you!"

That said, Frisk's presence had always drawn attention. A lot of people were indeed watching them, and Chara's behavior was only making it worse.

"Who's that kid with Frisk?" someone asked.

"Why is she dressed just like him?"

"Why is she holding his arm like that?"

The crowd quickly reached their own conclusions.

"Oh my God! Frisk got a girlfriend!"

"He's finally fallen for one of his fans!"

"Aw, they're cute together!"

Chara's face turned into a tomato. She immediately let go of Frisk. "F-Frisk, I… I'm s-sorry!" Chara frantically apologized.

"It's okay," Frisk said. "Let's just keep moving. We can't draw too much attention."

"Yeah…"

Asriel gave Frisk a smile that said  _I bet you enjoyed that._

Frisk replied with a glare that said  _shut up!_

They kept moving. Even with Chara acting more inconspicuous, her presence alongside Frisk still attracted many inquisitive stares. Asriel also attracted a lot of attention.

"What kind of monster is that?" a human in the crowd asked.

"There's no such thing as a flower monster…" a monster answered.

"What  _is_  that?" another monster asked.

It seemed that Asriel was a monster among monsters.

Toriel held Asriel close. "Ignore them, my child."

"They're right though," Asriel said. "I'm neither human nor monster. I don't know  _what_  I am."

"You are my son. Nothing will ever change that."

"Don't feel bad, Asriel!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I, the Great Papyrus, will help you make friends! I'll start you a fan club! The Asriel Fan Club!"

Asriel laughed. "The ASRIEL Fan Club, huh? That's… somewhat new."

Asriel was referring to the Flowey Fan Club that Papyrus had often tried to establish while Asriel had the ability to RESET. Frisk, Chara, and Asriel shared a laugh when Asriel told them that story the other night, but Frisk imagined that Asriel was not so eager to tell everyone else about how he used his RESET power to toy with everyone's lives… and kill every single one of them… probably several times. Frisk and Chara were the only ones who knew what Asriel had done. Not even Toriel knew about it. Sans gave Asriel another suspicious look.

Asriel realized his mistake. "Uh… I'm just saying… it will… never compare to Frisk's fan club! I appreciate the thought, though!"

Frisk exhaled in relief.  _Nice save, Asriel._

This simple walk was feeling like an eternity. They kept moving. Alphys's lab wasn't much further. Frisk hoped they would reach it without making a scene…

"Is that… Chara?!"

_Oh, come on!_

Frisk frantically looked around. Who said that?!

A large monster walked up to them. It was none other than Boaris. He stared at Chara. "I'll be damned. There's no mistake! It really is you! Chara has returned!"

"Boaris…? What are you doing here?" Frisk asked. What WAS he doing here? Frisk thought that he would have been in some kind of military facility 24/7.

Boaris laughed. "You think I'm some kind of prisoner? No!"

"I sincerely hope they never need you, but what if they do?"

"Did you think that just me would be enough? After I volunteered, other monsters followed. They call us 'Sentry Monsters.' The humans have been very good to us, and like anyone, we're allowed time off! Anyway, I must ask you, how is Chara here? Last I heard, Chara was dead."

The entire crowd was staring.

Frisk's heart pounded. What could he say? He couldn't tell him the full truth. He could have gotten into serious trouble if the Government found out that he had stolen a SOUL. Frisk decided that all he could do was tell him half the truth.

"…My determination brought Chara back from the dead," Frisk said.

The crowd went nuts. They chattered and shouted with amazement over Frisk's apparent abilities.

"Did you hear that?" someone asked. "Frisk brought someone back from the dead!"

"Frisk really is a god!"

"Frisk is god! Frisk is god! Frisk is god!"

_I can't see how this could possibly go wrong…_

"If that's true," Boaris told Frisk. "That could very well make you the most powerful human that's ever lived. I wouldn't believe you, if I wasn't looking at your miracle with my own eyes! Chara looks exactly as I remember her! Is it really you, Chara? Please, say something!"

"…Yes," Chara said. "It's me, Chara."

Boaris picked Chara up and hugged her. Chara, Frisk, and everyone but Papyrus was startled by Boaris's bizarre overfriendliness. The bewildered look on Chara's face made it clear that she had no idea what was going on.

"Umm… Mr. Boaris," Toriel said. "What are you doing with my child?"

"Thank you for bringing her back, Frisk!" Boaris exclaimed, ignoring Toriel. "It really was a tragedy when she seemingly passed away. Her presence filled the entire underground with hope! I truly believed that she would be the one to finally help us  _destroy_ … the barrier!"

Frisk grinned. "She actually did! She was very helpful during my journey underground!"

Boaris put Chara down. "She's been with you that long?" Boaris asked. "Why did she just now get her body back?"

"Because… determination!" Frisk answered.

_It explains everything!_

"Whatever you say, World Master," Boaris said. He pointed to Asriel. "And… might I ask who that is? In all my years, I've never heard of a flower monster."

Frisk took a deep breath. "He's… Asriel."

"…It's true," Asriel said.

"Incredible!" Boaris exclaimed. "You've brought back both of the royal children, but… why is Asriel a flower?"

"…Monsters are harder," Frisk explained. "And Dr. Alphys is actually the one who brought Asriel back. We're… still working on it."

"I see," Boaris said. "Well, I suppose this old boar has kept you long enough. Send Asgore my regards."

Frisk smiled. "Okay! We will!"

Boaris walked away, and Frisk and the others resumed their walk to Alphys's lab.

Frisk frowned. He had hoped that Asriel and Chara could have stayed under the radar for a little longer. It seemed like an extremely unfortunate coincidence that they just happened to run into Boaris, but Frisk supposed that people were going to find out sooner or later. Frisk just hoped that the Human Government wouldn't ask too many questions. A dark thought entered Frisk's mind. Would he be able to keep Chara alive? What would the Government do if they found out the truth behind where Chara's SOUL came from…? Where  _did_  Chara's SOUL come from, anyway? Frisk wondered who that SOUL once belonged to.

In any case, the Human Government couldn't just kill Chara, right? That would have been murder. Frisk looked at Chara. He was willing to accept the consequences of his actions, but no matter what, he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Chara.

"…Now I remember why he liked me so much," Chara whispered. "Boaris likes me because I hated humanity, just like he did."

"Not the most flattering reason to be admired," Frisk remarked.

"Something feels… off about him," Chara said. "Don't let your guard down around him, okay?"

"…Okay." Frisk had to admit, he found something off about Boaris as well.

They kept walking. It had been a long and awkward walk, but Alphys's lab was finally in sight.


	6. Idiot

At last, they reached Alphys's lab. Frisk knocked on the door.

Alphys answered. "H-hi everyone!" She saw Asriel. "So… you're Asriel?"

"Y-yeah.",

"… I'm sorry," Alphys apologized. "I u-understand if you hate me. Just like the amalgamates, I did something horrible to you."

Asriel smiled. "What are you talking about? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive at all!"

"B-but… you don't have a SOUL? Isn't that… unpleasant?"

"Pfft. Who needs feelings? They're useless!"

It was obvious that Asriel was putting on a cheerful mask for Alphys's sake. Poor Asriel.

"W-well, I'll do whatever I can to fix this!" Alphys said. "I made you this way, so it's my responsibility to bring you back to normal!"

"No!" Chara cut in. "It's my fault!"

"I-I'm sorry, who are you?" Alphys asked. "Wait… are you…?"

"Yes," Frisk said. "It's Chara."

"Y-you didn't tell me THAT! W-well, I guess Undyne didn't really give you a chance, heh."

"You guys talking about me?!" Undyne ran up to them.

"H-hey Undyne!" Alphys said. "Look, there's Asriel!"

Undyne grinned when she saw him. "AW! Look at him! He's so cute in that widdle flower!"

"A-and you won't believe this, but Frisk already saved Chara! Look!"

"WHAT?!" Undyne yelled. "Frisk…! You've already done most of our job before we even started!"

Frisk gave her an embarrassed smile. "Yeah… sorry about that!"

"Yeah,  _Sans_!" Papyrus said. "Isn't nice to get work done early? You should learn from Frisk's example!"

"Nah," Sans replied. "I'll take after Undyne in this case."

"HEY! I'm not lazy, punk!" Undyne insisted. "Alphys and I were… very busy… with stuff! YEAH!"

"We were watching anime," Alphys admitted.

"While smooching!" Undyne proudly declared, turning Alphys red.

Undyne looked at Chara. "ANYWAY… Hey, Chara! I'm Undyne!" Undyne reached out a hand to Chara. Chara smiled, and her eyes sparkled as she shook Undyne's hand. Chara looked like she was meeting a rock star.

"H-hey, Undyne!" Chara exclaimed. "It's so great to finally meet you! You're… you're really cool!"

Even though Undyne didn't care about being popular, Frisk could tell that she enjoyed Chara's praise. "YEAH! Damn right I'm cool! You must have been there when I tried to kill Frisk…! Uh… sorry about that."

Chara kept smiling. "It's okay! I don't blame you! You were just trying to free the monsters! I understand!"

Undyne leaned into Frisk and whispered. "Hey… do they know about… you know… the whole poison thing?"

"Only Toriel," Frisk whispered back.

"Uh… Yeah!" Undyne replied to Chara. "You're… very forgiving, just like Frisk! Thank you!"

Chara's smile faded a bit. "Yeah… just like Frisk…"

"W-well, why don't you all come inside?" Alphys offered. "Everyone's waiting for us!"

"Yeah!" Frisk cheered. "…Wait, what do you mean by 'everyone?'"

They walked inside the lab, and Frisk saw that a massive crowd of their friends had come over to see Asriel. Pretty much any monster who Frisk knew by name was there. It was a party.

"S-sorry," Alphys apologized. "Undyne might have told… everyone?"

"Was I not supposed to?" Undyne asked. "I thought it was just a secret until we found him!"

"It's okay," Frisk muttered.

Undyne grinned. "WELL, TOO LATE NOW!"

Chara looked a little nervous, but not as nearly bad as she did outside. Frisk hoped that she wasn't overwhelmed.

"Are you okay?" Frisk whispered to her.

Chara nodded. "I'm more comfortable around monsters."

"That's good… I mean, you shouldn't be afraid of humans either, but at least you're fine with monsters."

Chara had no response to that. Frisk knew that she still kind of hated humanity, and he didn't really blame her. Chara had never gone into detail, but Frisk knew that the humans in her village had done horrible things to her. Also, learning about the Human-Monster War didn't exactly improve Chara's opinion of humanity. And of course, there was the little incident where humans had destroyed her SOUL along with Asriel's. It would take some time, but Frisk hoped that Chara would be able to trust humanity one day.

After they entered the lab, Mettaton announced their arrival.

"OH, YES! Beauties and gentlebeauties, the guest of honor has arrived!" Mettaton shined a light on Asriel (even though the room wasn't dark). "Behold, the Prince of Monsters himself! Asriel Dreemurrrrr! My, my, darling! Undyne and Alphys weren't kidding! You look A LOT different than the last time the underground was graced with your presence!"

The entire crowd scrambled to get a good look at their long lost prince. Toriel smiled nervously. "E-easy now…! Do not push each other! Let us keep nice and orderly!"

Frisk lost sight of Asriel and Toriel in a sea of excited monsters. Everyone was both in awe and in disbelief that Asriel had somehow turned into a flower. During the commotion, Tsunderplane 'accidently' bumped into Frisk.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Tsunderplane yelled.

Like always, Frisk playfully flirted with Tsunderplane. He smiled. "My apologies. I was just distracted by your dazzling beauty."

Chara was right there… but she had already witnessed similar events several times. Frisk was sure that everyone involved knew it was just a joke. Although… it was always hard to tell with Tsunderplane.

Tsunderplane blushed. "Wh-what?! Why would you say that? I didn't bump into you on purpose or anything!"

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Why… I thought  _I_  bumped into  _you_."

Tsunderplane started to sweat. Frisk wondered how a plane could do that. "S-stop looking at me like that! It's not like I LIKE you, idiot! I told you!"

"Right… right…"

"H-huh?! What do you think you're implying? You sicko!" Tsunderplane flew off in a trail of smoke… It would be back…

With Tsunderplane out of the way, Mettaton approached Frisk. Frisk decided that he loved him too much to scold him for the Royal Memorial Fountain, and he instead smiled at him. "I should have known you would be here."

"How could I miss an event such as this?" Mettaton replied. "Frisk! I think I speak for all of us when I say how grateful I am for finding our prince…" Mettaton noticed Chara. "Oh! Who's this? A new friend of yours, Frisk?"

Chara bowed. "Greetings. I am Chara."

Mettaton was shocked. "Wait… Chara?! As in... THE Chara?!"

Chara nodded.

"So, let me make sure I've got this right," Mettaton said. "Frisk, not only have you found Asriel, but somehow, you've also resurrected Chara?"

"That's right," Frisk answered.

"Well, this is just FABULOUS!" Mettaton exclaimed. "I wouldn't believe it coming from anyone else, but if YOU said it, then it must be true! The whole royal family is back! And as if you haven't done enough for us already, Frisk! You truly are the Hero of Monsters!"

Frisk couldn't help but blush. "Ah… it was nothing. Asriel was the one who saved me."

"Are you saying… Asriel helped save you from those vile terrorists who kidnapped you?"

Frisk nodded.

"I LOVE IT!" Mettaton screamed. "You'll have to tell me more later, but even I know that I'm not the one running this show." Mettaton addressed the crowd that was swarming everyone. "Beauties! I know you're thrilled to see our prince again, but give him some space! Let him see his father!"

The monsters obeyed. They spread out and talked amongst themselves.

"Wow." Frisk was surprised. "That was thoughtful of you, Mettaton!"

"I can't wait to broadcast Asgore's reunion with his children!"

"Ah, there it is."

Free of the mob, Toriel and Asriel rejoined Frisk and Chara.

"Glad that's over," Asriel said. "I… wasn't ready for that."

"Are you ready to see Asgore?" Frisk asked.

"As ready as I'll be, I guess."

Asgore wasn't hard to spot. Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and Toriel steeled themselves, and they approached Asgore. Asgore's eyes widened as he saw Asriel and Chara.

"My children," Asgore breathed. "Asriel, is it true? Is that really you?"

"Yes," Asriel admitted.

"And Chara…?"

She nodded. "It is."

Asgore's eyes soon glistened with his tears. "I cannot believe… This cannot be real…"

"Yeah, Mom – along with anyone sane – thought the same thing," Asriel said. "But… it's really us."

Asgore's tears started falling. "Asriel… Chara… Ever since you died, all I ever wanted was to see you again."

Asriel made an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Dad, but I can't really get emotional right now."

"Yes… Alphys told me as much… but she did not mention Chara."

"I'm sorry," Chara apologized. "Neither of us wanted you to know. We were soulless, and we didn't want to break your heart. We thought it would be better if you just forgot about us."

"I understand," Asgore said. "However, I am glad that you told me. These are tears of joy, not sorrow. Even if you cannot love, I am glad to see you again."

Asriel sighed. "I know…"

"But, Chara," Asgore said. "If you have your body back, then… do you have a SOUL?"

Chara's eyes widened. She whispered to Frisk. "What do we tell him?"

Frisk didn't want to lie to him. "Yes, Chara has a SOUL."

"Frisk… How did that happen?" Asgore asked.

Frisk leaned in close to Asgore. "I can't tell you," he whispered. "Not here."

Asgore looked concerned, but he nodded in undestanding. He looked at Toriel and smiled."So… our children are back. That is great, is it not?"

"No thanks to you," Toriel snarled.

"OH! Asgore's ex sounds a little hostile!" Mettaton commentated.

"Stay out of this!" Toriel snapped.

Asgore was clearly very sorry for what he had done. "Toriel, I never wanted to do it."

"Is that what you said to the six humans you murdered?"

"... yes."

"Ugh, you are a pathetic welp, Dreemurr. I know not how the poor children came back to life, but I know it was no thanks to you."

It was fortunate that Asriel was able to resurrected those six humans before he released their souls. If he hadn't, Asgore would probably be in prison. When the barrier was broken, Asgore and Frisk had to have some awkward talks with the Human Government. One of their many questions was how the barrier had been broken, and Asgore was forced to explain how he had killed six humans and taken their SOULs. Luckily, all six of the humans Asgore killed vouched to pardon him. With their help, Asgore was allowed to remain free and continue leading his people.

Suddenly, Asgore was struck with a fit of anger. "What else would you have had me do? My people were in despair! They were hopeless! They thought they were just going to die down there! My actions saved our people! And what did you do? You  _ran away_! In our darkest hour, the Queen RAN AWAY! You ABANDONED your people when they needed you most!"

Awkward silence...

Frisk was stunned and horrified. He didn't know Asgore had that in him. Asgore immediately began to regret his words. Toriel stared him down angrily. "Of course I ran away. What else could I have done? You would not listen to me."

Chara sniffled. Both Asgore and Toriel immediately shifted their attention to her.

"My child…"

"Chara, what is the matter?"

"P-please," Chara sobbed. "Stop fighting."

Toriel looked heartbroken. "Chara… we are not… I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you."

"I am sorry as well," Asgore apologized. "I should not have lost my temper. Toriel, you have every right to hate me."

"I do not hate you," Toriel told him. "I am just… really upset with what you have done…"

"I am as well. You were right. Promises of murder and war were not the right way to give my people hope. I should have listened to you."

"Yes. You should have… but perhaps I should not have ran away."

"Toriel… I have asked you before, but… can we be friends again?"

Toriel sighed, and then smiled. "Alright."

Asgore beamed. And so did Chara and Frisk. Even Asriel had a shadow of a smile on his face. They may not have exactly loved each other again, but at least they were friends again!

"Hey, Frisk," Toriel said. "Hold Asriel for me, will you?"

"Sure!" Frisk took Asriel off of Toriel's hands. Toriel embraced Asgore in a hug. Frisk and Chara both squealed a little, and everyone else watching cheered.

"I tried to make this happen a few times," Asriel whispered. "Out of boredom of course, but I never succeeded. You really are something else, Frisk."

Frisk smiled. "Don't thank me. Chara's the one who made this happen."

Chara blushed. "Really? All I did was cry."

"And that's what they needed. They needed to know how you felt."

"Pfft. You dork."

"But it's true."

Out of nowhere, Tsunderplane flew back in and intentionally bumped into Asgore. "Now, don't get the wrong idea, mister! It's not like she secretly misses you and wants to get back together!"

"Uh… I'm sorry?" Asgore asked in confusion.

Toriel squinted angrily. "No."

"Ugh! I said it's NOT like that!" Tsunderplane flew away and once again 'accidently' bumped into Frisk. "Hey! Are you bumping into me  _on purpose,_ you creep!?"

Frisk smiled. "Maybe I am."

Tsunderplane's entire front turned red. "Y-you!"

Suddenly, Chara gave Tsunderplane a flirtatious smile. "Hey, Tsunderplane! You're  _obviously_ into Frisk, but maybe you haven't considered other options…"

Tsunderplane stared at Chara silently for a while.

"…WHAT?!" Tsunderplane screamed. "No way! Why would I like YOU? Idiot!"

"Notice me, senpai!"

Tsunderplane was too stunned to say anything, and Frisk burst out laughing. Chara must have picked that up from Alphys. After saying that, Chara slowly approached Tsunderplane and gave its wing a gentle pat.

"Eeeeh?!" Tsunderplane screeched. "H-human...?"

"Name's Chara, by the way," she said seductively.

"Ch-Chara… I…"

Chara affectionately caressed Tsunderplane's wing. "Metal may be cold at first, but it eventually warms up."

_Oh, Chara! I've trained you well!_

Tsunderplane was flustered beyond words. "Chara… I… I gotta go!'

"But wait! Just one more thing!" Chara whispered something to Tsunderplane. Frisk couldn't hear what she said, but whatever it was must have been good. Tsunderplane looked mortified. Frisk coughed in the cloud of smoke that Tsunderplane left behind as it frantically took off.

Chara looked at Frisk and giggled. "I can't believe I just did that!"

Frisk smiled at her. "That's what happens when you live in my head for a year!"

"Ah, that sounds bad, Frisk!"

"Haha, I guess it does. So… what was that last thing you said?"

Chara smiled coyly. "That's our little secret."

"Cute."

Frisk had to admit; he felt a little jealous. He knew that Chara was just having fun, but she had done so well! Chara could be very loving when she wanted to be. Frisk's interest in Chara deepened even further… If only Chara liked him that way too…

"Hey, Frisk," Asriel said. "Introduce us to more of your friends."

"Ah! Of course!" Chara and Asriel did need that. Frisk looked around and picked out a familiar face: Monster Kid.

"Hi, Monster Kid!" Frisk greeted. "I want you to meet my new friends, Chara and Asriel!"

"Yo!" Monster Kid greeted. She looked at Asriel. "Dude, you look nothing like Asriel, but… you still look… familiar..." Monster Kid quivered anxiously.

Monster Kid's nervousness made Frisk nervous. Was it trace memory from Asriel's resets?

"Wait…" Monster Kid said. "Weren't you there when the barrier was broken? Maybe that's it, but then… why do I feel so… so… umm… u-umm…?"

"W-well, I'm not exactly a normal monster," Asriel said.

"…I guess. Yeah, that must be it." Monster Kid sobered and smiled. "Sorry for acting weird, dude! Uh… I guess I shouldn't call a prince 'dude!'"

"It's alright," Asriel told her. "Call me whatever you like."

"Alright, dude! Man, I can't wait to tell my sister that I met freaking Asriel! She'll flip out!"

Frisk gave Chara a pat on the shoulder. "And this is Chara!"

"Greetings," Chara said.

Monster Kid's eyes widened. "Wait… Chara? The first human who fell underground?"

"Yes," Chara answered. "That is me."

"Wow! I learned about you in school! Mr. Boaris said you would have helped us crush humanity if you hadn't died!"

Chara averted her eyes.

"You know Boaris?" Frisk asked to change the subject.

"Yeah, he was a history teacher at my school," Monster Kid answered. "An extra BORING one! Everyone used to call him Boring Boaris!"

Frisk chuckled. "Sans would be proud."

"The only time he ever got interesting was when he started talking about humans! He would sometimes go on these long rants about how evil they were and how they would kill your family and laugh about it! We all laughed about how worked up he would get!"

Frisk grew serious. "Well… his family  _was_  killed by humans."

Monster Kid looked a little guilty. "Oh, I guess that's true… Man, I feel like a turd now. He's usually nice though!"

"That's… nice…" Frisk was becoming more and more worried about Boaris. Frisk was almost certain that Boaris was plotting something. It didn't seem possible that a monster who hated humanity so much would be so eager to serve them all of a sudden. Frisk always tried to see the best in everyone, but he feared that the Government may have made a terrible mistake in making Boaris a sentry monster.

"Hey," Chara told Monster Kid. "I don't know what Boaris told you about me, but… I'm not the same person I was back then. I'm still not exactly comfortable around most humans, but I'm trying to be more like Frisk."

_More like me, huh?_

"Yo, it's cool! I get it!" Monster Kid replied. "Undyne always said humans were all bad guys, and I believed her until I met Frisk!"

Frisk grew embarrassed. "Oh, stop it!"

"So, Frisk," Monster Kid said. "You have some crazy powers! First time travel, and now bringing dead people back to life! It's insane!"

Frisk went from being embarrassed to being a little uneasy. "Uh… yeah. I know."

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Chara said.

Monster Kid smiled cheerfully. "Yeah! See you later, dudes!"

They parted ways with Monster Kid.

"Damn it," Asriel cursed. "She remembered. She remembered me killing her."

"You… killed Monster Kid?" Frisk asked.

Asriel held his head down in shame. "I've killed  _everyone_ …"

Come to think of it, Frisk saw Asriel kill Asgore right in front him. Frisk had to ask something. "Asriel... does that include… Toriel?"

Asriel nodded pitifully.

"… you didn't know any better. You weren't yourself."

Chara grimaced. "It's all my fault, Asriel. I'm the one who made you believe that the world is kill or be killed."

"Hey, enough with the worthless pity!" Asriel snapped. "Both of you!"

Frisk smirked. "You started it."

Asriel sighed.

Frisk introduced Asriel and Chara to several other monsters. Many more of them expressed strange anxiety over Asriel. It seemed that they really did have some subconscious trauma from Asriel's actions as the World Master, but Frisk was able to put them all at ease. Everyone also seemed to like Chara, who was progressively getting more comfortable around everyone. Slowly, she even began to look happy.

Frisk smiled at her. "See, Chara? Everyone likes you!"

"Yeah," Chara whispered. She stopped smiling. "But… would they still like me if they knew what I've done? I'm sure they would all hate me if they learned the truth."

_Ah, why did I have to push it?_

"Well," Frisk said, "I'll never hate you. No matter what."

Chara sighed. "Why are you so nice to me?" She smiled. "Don't answer. I know. It's how you are."

Frisk's gut twisted. "M-maybe… there's more to it than that…"

Chara returned his stare with a puzzled expression. "Frisk…?"

Frisk broke eye contact. "U-umm… I'm just saying… I care about you."

Chara smiled. "I know that."

Someone nudged Frisk's shoulder. It was Royal Guard 01. "Hey, Frisk," he whispered. "You should, like, be honest with your feelings."

…  _damn you._

01 was right. What was Frisk so afraid of? Since when was he afraid to flirt? It had to be worth a try! Before then, he had hidden his feelings because Chara was soulless, but Chara was no longer soulless. He had to let Chara know how he felt. The worst thing that could happen was that Chara wouldn't feel the same way, in which case Frisk could laugh it off as just more of his usual, totally not serious flirting.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel continued to meet more monsters. One of them was a Temmie.

"hOI! i'm tEMMIE!"

"Aw, Temmie is so cute!" Chara picked up Temmie and tried to hand her to Frisk.

Frisk recoiled. "Chara, you know I'm allergic!"

"But Temmie loves to pet cute humans!" Chara happily exclaimed.

Frisk smiled. "You think I'm cute?"

Chara blushed. "U-umm…"

"awwAwa cute! (pets u)." Temmie reached for Frisk. For Frisk's safety, Chara held Temmie back.

Frisk kept smiling. "Well… I think you're cute, Chara!"

Chara laughed nervously. "F-Frisk… I think you're cute too."

"OMG! humans TOO CUTE (dies)," Temmie said as if reading Frisk's thoughts.

Did Chara just... did she just call him cute?!

Chara laughed it off. "You're such a flirt, Frisk!"

Frisk laughed with her. "Yeah, I know."

Yeah, as Frisk feared, Chara wasn't taking his flirting seriously. He supposed it served him right. After so much teasing, how could anyone take his flirting seriously? He was like the boy who cried wolf. It seemed that subtlety might not have been an option, but Frisk didn't want to be too aggressive. He decided to be patient and let Chara take it as a joke for the time being.

As time passed, people started to leave. Chara and Asriel had met just about everyone, so Frisk figured it was about time for them to leave too.

"Wait," Chara said. "Let's check in with Alphys first."

"Alright," Frisk replied. They went to Alphys. Undyne was with her.

"Hey, Alphys," Chara said. "Now that we've found Asriel, do you have any idea how we can turn him back to normal?"

Alphys shook her head. "I already told you everything I know. The only way I know of is to absorb a monster SOUL."

Chara looked frustrated. "There has to be something we can do!"

"W-well, how did  _you_ come back, Chara?"

Frisk made sure no one was close enough to overhear them. He whispered "when the terrorists kidnapped me, I found a human SOUL in their hideout."

"Frisk," Undyne said. "I don't know if you wanna talk about it, but you must have gone through hell. I can't believe anyone would do that to you! If I were there, I would have beaten the crap out of them!"

Frisk smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure you would have."

Chara laughed. "Yeah! So what if takes nearly every monster SOUL to match a single human SOUL? You're Undyne!"

Undyne laughed. "I think we're gonna get along just fine, Chara!"

Chara grew serious again. "So… can you help me? Please, I  _need_  to save Asriel."

"I'll… do some research," Alphys promised. "My predecessor might have left some notes behind. I'll look into it."

"Thank you so much!" Chara exclaimed.

"Asriel's really important to you, huh?" Undyne asked.

Chara nodded. "He's my brother, and he died because of me. I'll do anything to save him."

"Anything? Even… kill someone?"

"Well, I don't want to kill anyone innocent. Not anymore, anyway."

"What about someone… not so innocent?"

Chara grit her teeth. "It's pretty hard to be less innocent than me, but… I did have a thought. Frisk and I suspect that Boaris is up to something horrible, and part of me really hopes that we're right. Because if Boaris does do something, then maybe… we can take his SOUL… I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person for wanting that, aren't I?"

"Hey," Undyne said. "I wanted to take Frisk's SOUL, and he never even did anything wrong."

Frisk placed a hand on Chara's shoulder. "Chara… I can't say I want to be right about Boaris, and even if we are, killing him would not be my first resort. But you're not a bad person for wanting that. You just want to help your brother."

"I'm sorry, Frisk," Chara said sadly. "I'm still not like you."

"Chara, you keep saying you want to be like me. It's great that you want to be a better person, but… I don't want you to feel like you need me. You are your own person, and you can be a great person on your own."

Chara stared into Frisk's eyes. "But I  _do_ need you, Frisk. Without your guidance, all I've ever done is bring pain to others."

Frisk felt an itch in his throat. Would Chara ever forgive herself?

"That's not true," Asriel told her. "You were my best friend. I cared about you more than anyone else."

"But I tried to make you kill for me, and look at what I've done to you. How can you forgive me for that?"

"… Chara, you might not believe this... But... soon after I became this way, I decided... it wasn't worth living anymore. Not in a world without love. Not in a world… without you. But… seeing you again changed my mind. Chara... now that you're with me... just living here in the surface world doesn't seem so bad."

Tears sparkled in Chara's eyes. "A-Asriel…"

Asriel smiled. "Hey… big kids don't cry, remember?"

Chara took Asriel from Frisk and hugged him. "I'm so sorry."

"…Man, is she always like this?" Undyne whispered to Frisk.

Frisk sighed. "Seems like it."

"And I thought Alphys had it rough…"

"Hey, Asriel, what do you think?" Chara asked. "About Boaris?"

"I'm not really qualified to make that decision," Asriel said. "But… I don't think Asriel would want to kill someone for his own sake."

_Why the third-person, Asriel?_

"W-well," Alphys said. "Like I said, I'll look for an alternative, but I can't promise anything."

"Thanks again, Alphys," Frisk said. "Well, we should get going now. See you soon."

"S-see you."

"Later, punks!"

Hopeful that Alphys would be able to help them out, Frisk, Chara, and Asriel bid farewell and went back home.

* * *

Back at home, Toriel approached Frisk.

"Frisk," Toriel said, "would you mind taking out the trash?"

"No problem!"

Frisk went to the trash can and pulled out the bag, and then he opened the front door and stepped out into the crisp night air. After he placed the bag inside the dumpster, someone grabbed Frisk's shoulder. Frisk's heart pounded.

_NO! NOT AGAIN!_

Frisk turned around and faced an angry-looking Agent Miller. Frisk calmed down. "Oh, it's just you."

"You IDIOT!" Miller shouted.

"I get that a lot."

"Back at the terrorist hideout, I knew something funny was going on! You found a SOUL, didn't you? And you used your reset power to hide it from us! THAT'S how you revived Chara!"

Frisk gulped. "Even if I did, then what are you going to do about it?"

Miller grabbed the collar of Frisk's shirt. "First, don't play dumb! 'My determination brought Chara back from the dead?' You might fool the public, but I know it doesn't work like that! We've been watching you, remember? Whenever you thought you were alone, we knew you were acting strange. You often looked like you were talking to someone. Sometimes, you would even burst out laughing, as if someone had told you the best joke you had ever heard, except no one was there. We know she's been with you for a long time. Do you expect me to believe that bringing her back so soon after being kidnapped is a coincidence?"

"Y-you haven't answered my question," Frisk asked fearfully.

"Protocol says we take back what is ours."

Frisk turned pale.  _No… No… NO!_

Miller sighed and let go of Frisk. "But of course, our protocol doesn't account for someone being brought back from the dead, so... I'm not going to do anything about it."

After processing what Miller had said, Frisk was filled with relief. He smiled, and he hugged Miller. Even mindless military drones deserved a hug every now and then. "Thank you!"

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Yes. I won't let anyone hurt her… Not even you guys."

For the first time, Frisk saw Miller smile.

"Aww, you DO have a SOUL!" Frisk teased.

Miller's smile did not last long. "Frisk… do you realize what you've done? You've done something that shouldn't be possible. Soon, people are going to wonder if you can do it again… You get what I'm saying? Lots of people have lost loved ones. Eventually, they're going to wonder why Chara is the only one you've brought back."

Frisk became tense. "I… don't really know how I did it. She just kind of… popped in my head."

"All I'm saying is, you're making my job real tough."

"Sorry, I guess… but if you want to help, something's been bothering me. How exactly did the terrorists get an empty SOUL?"

"… yes," Miller agreed. "That IS disturbing. We'll look into it."

"Thanks."

"Watch yourself, Frisk." Miller turned to leave.

"Hey, one more thing," Frisk called out.

Miller stopped. "Yeah?"

"I heard humans have been inside the underground. Do you know anything about that?"

"… that's classified."

"Really? That's how it's going to be?" Frisk smiled. "But you were doing so well! You were almost human!"

Miller sighed. "I don't know much more about it than you. It's some kind of scouting mission. That's all I know."

"Scouting? For what?"

"Hell if I know," Miller walked away, leaving Frisk behind with a sense of dread.


	7. Hopeless Dreams

Chara had another dream, more vivid this time.

These dreams were strange, because Chara wasn't actually part of them. She was inside someone else's body, kind of like how she had once been inside Frisk's body. The same boy from the last dream walked up to the girl that Chara was inside. The boy was a small child who looked somewhere around ten years old. Although Chara could not see her face, she guessed that the girl was about two or three years older than her brother. Again, they had met in an open field, filled with golden flowers, and it was a beautiful sunny day.

"Felicia…" the brother said. "Are you really the World Master now?"

Felicia nodded.

"That's… great," the brother said. "But… you know what Mom and Dad want you to do."

Felicia clenched her fists. "I don't care."

"But Mom and Dad-"

"Mom and Dad are wrong!"

"S-sister…"

"… sorry," Felicia apologized. "But I've made my decision. I'm going to do everything I can to set the monsters free. They've been trapped for way too long. They deserve to see the sun again. It's time for the barrier to go."

The brother looked conflicted. "I want to believe you, but Mom and Dad said they're dangerous. After all, they killed that one child."

"Then why didn't he fight back?" Felicia asked. "Everyone just assumed the monster had killed the child, but if that were true, he would have attacked the village. I think the monster was just trying to return the dead child. It must have been a gesture of peace! And how did we respond? With violence!"

"But what about the other six kids who climbed the mountain and never returned?" the brother asked.

"Well, duh! Once you go in the barrier, you can't get out! It doesn't mean the monsters killed them!"

"Then why did the Government block off the mountain?"

"That's not to keep us safe. It's to keep the monsters trapped."

"But… Mom and Dad-"

"Jacob… I know you love them, but you don't have to believe everything they say."

Jacob grimaced. "I don't want to choose between you and them."

Felicia whimpered, and she hugged her brother. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you in the middle. I don't want you to accept what they say without question, but you can believe whatever you want. Whether you agree with me or our parents, I'll still love you."

Jacob hugged back. "Thank you."

"So, what  _do_  you believe? You can be honest! I won't get mad!"

"… I don't know," Jacob answered. "I've never met them."

Felicia smiled. "Well, that's alright. I love you, Brother."

Jacob smiled back. "I love you too, Sister."

* * *

Chara woke up.

Why was she having these dreams? Was it… from her SOUL? Was her SOUL really empty…? She thought back to when she was inside Frisk's head. Back then, it took deliberate effort to communicate with him. Chara took a deep breath, and she tried to communicate that same way again.

…  _hey, is anyone there? Felicia...?_

No response.

Apparently, Chara was experiencing memories from the SOUL's previous owner, but this Felicia did not seem to be around. Chara's curiosity overwhelmed her. She had to know whose Felicia was. Was she still out there somewhere? If she still existed… Chara wouldn't be able to justify keeping the SOUL for herself. Chara would gladly give it back. Maybe she could even go back in Frisk's head. Even without a SOUL, living inside of Frisk wasn't so bad…

If Chara's dreams were accurate, Felicia was so much like Frisk. Even though she didn't know them, she wanted to help the monsters so badly. Not only that, but she also loved her brother, even if he didn't agree with her. Whoever she was, she definitely deserved to live more than Chara did.

Despite that, Chara was happy that she could be with Frisk, and what was left of Asriel.

Chara got out of Frisk's bed and looked around. The couch was empty. Frisk had already awoken and left the room. It was just her and Flowey, the remains of the brother that Chara had destroyed. Unless Chara really could turn Flowey back into Asriel, Chara would never forgive herself.

Flowey looked at her and smiled. "Good morning, Chara."

She smiled back. "Good morning, Asriel." Out loud, she still called him Asriel, even though she saw him as Flowey.

"Frisk has already left for the Embassy, and Toriel's out on errands. It's just you and me!" Flowey chirped.

Chara couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Oh, Frisk's gone already? I wish I could have at least told him to have a nice day or something."

Flowey laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure you miss him already."

She gave him a funny look. "Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying, you seem to care about Frisk a lot."

"Umm, yeah?"

"And I hope you still have time for your little brother."

"Oh, of course," Chara said. "Why wouldn't I? Yes, I like Frisk a lot. We're best friends, but you're still my best friend, too."

He frowned. "Well, I'm not really Asriel anymore."

It made Chara sad, but that was the truth. Frisk probably didn't see it that way. He was too optimistic to think of him as Flowey. He knew that he couldn't truly be Asriel without his soul, but he wanted to believe that Asriel was still alive.

Chara hugged him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "If only I could give you my soul."

"Hey, stop beating yourself up so much."

"Heh, that's what Frisk said."

"Yeah, it's good advice. You should take it."

"Maybe..."

Chara let go of Flowey and went to Frisk's desktop computer. She logged in and opened a web browser.

"Ooo, what'cha looking up?" Flowey asked with great interest.

She typed in a search query, 'World Master Felicia.' "Asriel, I've been… having some weird dreams. I think they might be memories, belonging to whoever my SOUL once belonged to. My last dream revealed something very interesting: apparently, she was once a World Master."

"G-golly," Flowey breathed. "That  _does_  sound interesting!"

It was going to be a painful search. World Masters - who weren't Frisk - were easily Chara's least favorite thing in the entire world. There were many reasons why Chara hated humanity, but the ability to RESET and avoid consequences was the worst one of all. She scrolled through the old histories and records of known World Masters. While it was true that there had been some Masters who used their powers for good, too many used them for selfish purposes, and even among the apparently good ones, how did anyone know that they didn't just reset after doing something vile, leaving no memory of it? So many of them thought they were above consequences.

But Chara wasn't concerned with them at the moment. She just had to find the World Master named Felicia. Judging by her dream, she had lived after the seventh human had climbed Mount Ebott, but before Frisk had. It shouldn't have been difficult.

Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy. Apparently, there was no World Master known as Felicia, meaning her powers had never been publicly identified. Indeed, the World Master's identity was often unknown. For quite some time, it had been a mystery until it was revealed to be the future President Jacob Malcom.  _He_  was the exact opposite of the girl who Chara was looking for, so it appeared that she had reached a dead end. All Chara knew was that Felicia must have been an unknown World Master before Jacob Malcom.

... wait, Jacob?

Chara looked up Jacob Malcom and his family. It turned out, Jacob had a sister who supposedly died of an illness at the age of thirteen, and... her name was Felicia.

A fatal illness, huh? That sounded awfully familiar. Felicia and Jacob had made it clear that their parents strongly disapproved of Felicia's desire to free monsters. Chara looked up their parents. They were both politicians dedicated to keeping the barrier active. Horrified, Chara started to piece together what must have happened.

Chara clenched her fists. Did they…?

Did they murder her?!

"Ch-Chara, what's wrong?" Flowey asked.

"They killed her!" Chara screamed. "They killed Felicia!"

"Chara, calm down!"

Chara started laughing. It was funny. "Haha… Felicia and I have a lot in common!"

"You don't know that. Maybe-"

"Hahaha! Of course they did! They were  _human_ , after all!"

"Chara…"

Chara's laughter dissolved into light sobbing. She covered her eyes. "I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have looked."

The implications of this made everything even worse, and it raised so many questions. How did the terrorists get their hands on Felicia's SOUL? Did Malcom… give it to them? Did he really hate monsters enough to arm terrorists with his own sister's SOUL? Did he have a hand in his sister's death?

Flowey tried to comfort Chara. "It's okay, Chara. You're fine."

"Asriel…" Chara whispered. "My SOUL once belonged to Felicia, the sister of President Malcom. How could the terrorists have possibly gotten it?"

"… I don't know," Flowey answered.

Chara sighed, and she logged off the computer. She had to take her mind off of this. "I… need breakfast."

Chara got up, picked up Flowey, and headed to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. She was feeling lazy, so she just popped some frozen waffles in the toaster… and then she slathered them in chocolate syrup. Chocolate always made everything just a little bit better.

As she ate, Toriel returned home. Chara tried to smile as if nothing was wrong. "Greetings, Mother!"

"Greetings, my child," Toriel replied. "I have something for you!" Toriel handed Chara a cellphone. "Do not worry, Alphys made sure that I found you a suitable model."

Chara giggled and took the phone. "I'm sure it's much more advanced than the one you gave me back in 201X." Chara grinned, and she dialed Frisk's number. Talking with Frisk would definitely clear her mind!

Sadly, the call went to voicemail. Chara left a message as cheerfully as she could manage. She supposed that Frisk was busy at the Embassy. After leaving her message, she sighed and put her new phone away.

Chara looked at Toriel. "Thank you, Mother."

Toriel could sense Chara's sadness. "Aww, you miss Frisk, do you? Worry not! He will be back tonight."

Chara smiled slightly. "I know. It's just… I'm not sure what to do today."

"Hmm… may I suggest getting to know another friend? Perhaps someone such as Papyrus, or Sans?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Chara thought about who she wanted to meet. Sans seemed like a good choice. He could be a little annoying sometimes, but he shared Chara's love for puns. Despite that, he could also be very serious. It seemed appropriate. "What's Sans's number?"

Toriel beamed. "Ah, excellent choice!" She gave Chara his number, and Chara dialed it.

"Hey," Sans answered.

"G-greetings, Sans. It's me, Chara. Umm… I was wondering if you'd want to… umm… hang out. M-maybe have lunch?"

Sans chuckled. "Geez kid, you sound like Alphys, but sure. I suppose I can pry myself away from my work."

"OH, YEAH!" Chara heard Papyrus sarcastically yell in the background. "You're working  _real_  hard, watching me sell all these hot dogs!"

"Yeah," Sans replied. "Think you can handle it on your own, bro?"

Papyrus sighed. "Yeah, I've got it! Have fun with Frisk!"

"It's Chara, actually."

"Have fun with Frisk's clone!"

"We'll meet at Grillby's around 1 o'clock," Sans said. "Is that good?"

"Yeah! See you there!"

"I think we'll have a good time. See ya," Sans hung up.

Flowey groaned. "Why are you going out with that smiley trashbag?"

"Why not?" Chara asked.

"Don't underestimate that guy," Flowey whispered. "He may  _act_ harmless enough, but he's always watching you, judging you. And if he doesn't like what he sees... the bad times begin."

She blinked. "The... bad times?"

"Yes, the bad times. Trust me, it's not a good time."

"Hmm... if I confess my sins to Sans, will he give me one of these bad times?"

"I don't know, maybe. I mean, it  _does_ take some serious effort to antagonize him. He  _is_ kind of lazy. If you incur his wrath, you've  _really_ worked hard for it."

Chara was intrigued. "What does it take?"

"Sometimes, even killing Papyrus didn't make him attack."

"Wait, what?!"

"Well, it  _always_ pissed him off. He always judged me for it, but he wouldn't always kill me over it."

"Seriously?! If someone killed you, I'd hunt them down across the Earth. No, the universe! I wouldn't rest until you were avenged!"

Flowey laughed. "Good to know. Anyway, yeah, it took a  _lot_ of kills to make Sans kill me, but when he did, he was  _really_ good at it."

"What on Earth are you two whispering about?" Toriel asked.

"Nothing!" Flowey exclaimed.

Chara thought about what Flowey had said. Aside from Undyne, it sounded like Sans was one of the Underground's main lines of defense. She grew curious. How  _would_ Sans react if Chara told him the truth behind her death?

"Asriel," Chara whispered. "Serious question, what if I told Sans everything? You know what I mean."

"Probably not the greatest idea," he answered.

Chara wanted to tell couldn't hide from her past forever, and she wanted to know what Sans really thought of her, good or bad.

Chara looked at her mother. "Sans and I are going to Grillby's."

Toriel smiled. "That sounds wonderful! I will drive you there!"

Chara considered declining her offer and walking, but she decided to accept her help. "Alright. Thanks, Mother."

"Of course, my child!"

Chara looked at Flowey.

"Don't worry about me," Flowey told her. "I'm used to being alone, and Mom won't even be gone long."

"Actually, do you want to come with me?" Chara asked.

Flowey frowned. "No… I'm… not comfortable around him."

Chara felt like talking to Sans would have done Flowey some good as well, but she didn't want to force him. "Okay. I won't try to pressure you… I've done that far more than enough."

"… no, you're right, Chara," Flowey said. "I need to face him. I'll come with you."

Chara became flustered. Did she manipulate him without realizing it? "N-no, Asriel! You don't have to come if you don't want to!"

"This is  _my_  choice, Chara," Flowey stated, understanding Chara's concern.

Chara tried to protest, but Toriel interrupted them. "Great, Asriel! I think this will be good for both you and Chara!"

"I hope so."

When it was time, Chara and Flowey both let Toriel take them to Grillby's.


	8. Revelations

It was another day at the Embassy, and everyone was buzzing with anticipation. Apparently, President Malcom was going to make another appearance. Frisk shadowed Asgore in his office as he prepared for the meeting. One day, he was going to be a full-time ambassador. He wanted to learn as much as he could from him.

Asgore filled some paperwork. "Now, Frisk, it's important to be prepared for every meeting such as this. However, I must confess that President Malcom is making that difficult. He has refused to disclose the topic of today's meeting, which is very unorthodox."

"Huh... seems suspicious," Frisk surmised.

Asgore nodded. "Indeed. I won't lie, everyone knows Malcom is not fond of us monsters. Unfortunately, you will always have to deal with people like him."

"What do you think this is about?"

"I really don't know."

Frisk thought about what current events were on everyone's mind. The answer was obvious. "Do you think it could have something to do with Asriel and Chara?"

"That is possible," Asgore said. "Asriel's return may raise questions about my succession."

Frisk frowned. "I don't think he'd be up to it in his current state."

He sighed. 'I know."

Asgore finished with the paperwork. "Alright, it's almost time. Let's be off."

"Right behind you."

They left the office. Out in the halls, monsters and humans were both walking around, busy with their own work. One of the monsters, a Vulkin, saw Frisk and approached him. "Umm, hi, Frisk."

He smiled at them. "Hello."

Vulkin looked very sad. "Hey, my sibling had fallen down a while ago, and since you helped Chara, I was wondering if you could..."

'Fallen down' was a euphemism monsters used to describe a comatose state they entered when they were about to die.

Frisk frowned. "Oh... I'm sorry, I don't think there's anything I can do."

Vulkin sniffled. "Oh, I see."

Frisk hugged them. Vulkin's extremely hot body burned, but he bared it for them. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm sure your sibling wouldn't want you to be sad."

"I know," they sobbed. "Thank you."

Vulkin let go, and they let Frisk on his way... Only for Frisk to be accosted by a human just a moment later.

The man stared at Frisk with pleading eyes. "Frisk, please help me. Name's Shawn. My poor Pyrrha was shot in the heart by some murderer, and I know you can..."

"I'm sorry, I can't," Frisk said.

Shawn clenched his fists. "Why the hell not?! If you can save Chara, you can save Pyrrha!"

"I just can't. I don't know how I saved Chara. I didn't even know she existed. She just kind of popped in my head."

"Well, make Pyrrha pop in your head!"

"I can't," Frisk repeated. "I swear I would help you if I could, but I can't."

He glared at Frisk hatefully. "I used to look up to you. I thought you were a good person, but now I see the truth. You will only help the people you care about, and you don't give a shit about anyone else!" He raised his fists. "You selfish brat!"

Royal guards 01 and 02 jumped into action. In perfect unison, they held their swords in between Frisk and Shawn. "Hey, that's not cool," 01 said.

"Keep your hands off Frisk," 02 warned.

Security came. Shawn screamed a slew of obscenities at Frisk as he was dragged away.

Frisk felt a twinge of guilt. Did Shawn have a point? Could he have saved people besides Chara?

"Don't listen to him," Asgore said. "His mind is clouded by grief."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Vulkin and Shawn probably wouldn't be the last people to ask Frisk about his apparent resurrection powers. Frisk knew it seemed impossible, perhaps even supernatural. It was no wonder people were making a big deal out of it. Maybe that was part of the price he had to pay for saving Chara.

01 fist pumped 02. "Yeah! Great job!"

"I guess," 02 replied.

"Oh, 02. You were awesome! I always love the way we fight together!"

"Heh, yeah."

01 leaned into Frisk and whispered. "So, like, how are things going with Chara?"

Frisk blushed. "Oh, umm, good."

"Have you told her how you feel yet?"

"Well, not quite."

01 nudged his shoulder. "Come on, Frisk! Just look at me and 02! Thanks to your advice, we're so happy together.! I can never thank you enough."

Frisk laughed. "You're welcome."

"I saw Chara looking at you, and I think she feels the same way!"

"You... you really think so?"

"Positive!"

"What are you two discussing?" Asgore asked.

"Nothing!" Frisk exclaimed.

Asgore blinked. "Well, alright. Let us proceed."

"Yeah."

They headed for the auditorium, where Malcom awaited.

* * *

Frisk took his seat next to Asgore. The auditorium was filled to capacity, filled with chatter all around. They didn't know what they were talking about, but if Malcom was here, it was important.

Soon enough, Malcom entered the stage, and everyone fell silent. "Good day," he greeted. "I know you're all wondering why I have gathered you here. I'm here to talk about something on all our minds. As you all know, the monsters' prince, once believed to be dead, had suddenly returned, as well as Chara, the first human who passed through the barrier that had surrounded Mount Ebott. Frisk himself has awakened Chara from death, and I know what all of you are thinking. Can Frisk do this again?"

The whole room exploded with chatter. Frisk let out a long, deep sigh.

Malcom brought order to the crowd. "Settle down, everyone. I know many of you have people you miss. Believe me. I know what it's like. When I was just a kid, I also lost someone dear to me, but I digress. We need to get to the bottom of how this happened. Why don't we ask the hero himself?" Malcom looked right at him. "Frisk, it's my understanding that Asriel absorbed Chara's SOUL, and both of their SOULs were destroyed when Asriel died."

"… that's correct," Frisk confirmed.

"And would I be wrong to assume that Chara has a SOUL now?"

"… you would not. Chara has a SOUL again."

"I'm not exactly a soulologist, but I'm pretty sure that a SOUL cannot be created out of nothing but determination…" Malcom's stare cut deep inside Frisk. "Frisk… where did you get a SOUL?"

Frisk took a deep breath. What would they do when they found out that he had stolen a SOUL? He would accept any punishment they gave him. He just hoped that they wouldn't hurt Chara.

"I found it," Frisk answered. "When I was kidnapped, I found a SOUL in my captors' hideout, and I used it to revive Chara."

The crowd chattered with a mixed reaction. Some expressed understanding, while others insisted that Frisk should have turned the SOUL over to the Government.

"Normally, I would understand how you feel," Malcom said. "However, I seriously question your judgement in bringing back such a dangerous individual."

Frisk felt a chill run down his spine. What did he mean by that? What did he know about Chara?

Clearly on a cue, someone else walked onto the stage: Boaris. Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to explain what Malcom had said.

"Everyone," Boaris solemnly addressed. "We have some troubling news about this person who Frisk has saved from death. At first, I was quite pleased to see Chara alive again. However, new information has recently come to light. Chara… had almost destroyed humanity."

The whole room was filled with shock and disbelief. Frisk couldn't even bring himself to dispute it, because even he knew that it wasn't exactly wrong, but how did they find out? And why was Boaris doing this? Just the other day, Boaris seemed to idolize Chara.

"What are you talking about?" Asgore demanded. "Chara was supposed to be the future of humans and monsters! If only she had not fallen ill!"

"Asgore…" Boaris said. "Do you really think that disease was natural? Didn't you notice how similar the symptoms were to your own illness?"

Asgore grimaced. "I…"

"Is it not obvious what happened?" Boaris asked. "Chara killed herself, so Asriel could take her SOUL. All along, it was a conspiracy to destroy humanity. Chara tried to use your son for revenge."

Asgore clearly didn't want to believe that. Frisk and Chara still hadn't told him. "Impossible! Chara was happy with us! She never would have taken her own life for something like that!"

"Of course, we would not make such a bold claim without proof," Boaris said. "While exploring our old home, the humans have found something very disturbing."

They found something in the Underground? What could he… Oh, no…

Malcom inserted a VHS tape into the auditorium's media system. Frisk shuddered. He knew exactly what it was.

"Luckily," Malcom said, "Asriel recorded all the evidence on these tapes." He played the first tape.

Everyone heard Asriel's voice, but Chara was too quiet to be understood.

"What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter... But we accidentally put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did... Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera...? Okay."

"As you can see," Boaris said. "Chara got the idea to kill herself from this incident. Also, whether it was truly an accident or not, Chara clearly had no remorse for poisoning her adoptive father. She  _laughed_  at his pain." Boaris spoke of it as if he had witnessed it himself.

"…you weren't there," Frisk spoke up. "Asriel was. Asriel loved Chara, but he wasn't stupid. He would have known if it was like that."

Malcom ignored him and played the rest of the tapes, showing how Chara coaxed Asriel into going along with her plan to absorb her soul and get 'just six' more from the humans.

"Chara manipulated Asriel into following her scheme," Boaris said. "She claimed that she only wanted to get six SOULs to break the barrier, but I knew Chara. For some indiscernible reason, Chara hated humanity."

_Indiscernible?_   _You hated humanity too._

"Asriel, on the other hand," Boaris continued, "never wanted to hurt anyone. When Asriel and Chara arrived at the village, it is clear what happened. Chara tried to make Asriel destroy the entire village, the village that Chara had once lived in, but Asriel stopped her. If Asriel had agreed to kill them, even if Asriel had just killed six, monsters would have had to wage war with all of humanity, and with an entire village of human SOULs harvested, the humans wouldn't have stood a chance. If Asriel hadn't resisted Chara, humanity would have been destroyed."

The room was filled with panic, anger, and an overwhelming sense of betrayal.

"Why would Frisk bring back someone like her?!"

"Frisk, are you insane?!"

"Chara killed Asriel!"

"Kill Chara! Before  _she_  kills someone!"

Frisk's heart ached. It was painful to see everyone hate and even wish death on the person Frisk loved so much, but at the same time, Frisk couldn't blame them. He knew that Chara's actions were hard to forgive… but they hadn't heard the full story.

Frisk steeled himself and leaned into his microphone. "Everyone… I know those tapes sound bad. I know how horrible Chara must seem to you, but there's so much more to her than you realize. Chara wasn't just some psychotic murderer. She loved her family, and she loved monsters."

"If she loved them, she wouldn't have used Asriel like a pawn," Boaris retorted. "It was never about saving monsters. Chara simply wanted to kill the people from her village, and all of humanity. Monsters were just tools to her. She was a psychopath! I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to destroy everything!"

Frisk was really confused. Didn't Boaris hate humanity too? Hadn't he rooted for the destruction of humanity? According to Chara, Boaris used to say horrible things about humanity, such as stressing the idea that monster souls are made of love and compassion while humans don't need such things to exist. Now, after all that, he acts like hating humanity is some unfathomable, unforgivable sin? It was pure hypocrisy!

"No, that's wrong!" Frisk yelled. "Chara climbed Mount Ebott to get away from humanity. She wouldn't have gone back – she wouldn't have given up her own life – just for revenge. Chara made the ultimate sacrifice for her family. It's true that she hated humanity, but it was her love for her family that truly motivated her."

"You're just as gullible as Asriel!"

Malcom waved his hand to calm Boaris. "Let Frisk speak. It wouldn't be fair if we didn't hear their side of the story."

"… thank you," Frisk said.

Frisk took a deep breath, and he told them the story from Chara's point of view.

He told them everything. He told them why Chara killed herself with buttercups, the truth of Chara's plan, why Chara hated humanity, and why Chara wanted to use Asriel's full power.

Frisk's explanation of what happened did little to ease everyone's rage. Boaris laughed. "Even if what you say is true, it's not much better."

"Y-yes," Frisk admitted. "She… made mistakes, but she know that now. She's changed. She no longer wants to hurt anyone."

"What does it matter?" Boaris challenged. "Chara is guilty of millions of counts of attempted murder. For such a crime, there is only one suitable punishment..."

Several people in the audience, both human and monster, cheered in agreement. Frisk didn't know what to do. Maybe their reactions made more sense, but Frisk didn't care. He didn't want Chara to die. He  _couldn't_ let Chara die. What could he do? Should he reset?

"Hey! No one's hurting Frisk's BFF on my watch!"

Someone stormed onto the stage. It was Undyne. She ran next to Frisk and took his microphone… Not that she needed it…

"Captain Undyne!" Boaris shouted. "You're not allowed to-"

"Shut up!" Undyne yelled. "I have something to say to my fellow monsters! Don't you remember how we felt about Asgore's plan? The one where he was going to kill seven humans and use their SOULs to  _destroy humanity_? We were THRILLED! And it's not like we weren't given a chance! Even after Toriel became disgusted with us and left, we still supported the war! Yes, Chara was screwed up, but most of us were! So… GET OFF YOUR DAMN HIGH HORSES!" Undyne dropped Frisk's microphone and walked off stage. The whole audience was stunned into silence.

"… well, that's an interesting view point," Malcom said.

"President Malcom," Asgore said, "may I remind you the terms of the Human-Monster Treaty? It specified that all citizens of the Kingdom of Monsters are granted full immunity from any crimes committed before our integration into human society. At the time of her death, Chara was, in fact, an official citizen of the Kingdom of Monsters. Therefore, no legal action may be pursued against her."

Frisk let out a sigh of massive relief. How could he have forgotten? He helped write that treaty himself.  _Yes… thank you! Thank you so much!_

The crowd murmured with another mixed reaction. Frisk and Undyne had changed some of their minds, but many were enraged that Chara simply got off unpunished.

Malcom sighed. "That is true, and perhaps it's for the best. I'm sure Frisk would be very displeased if we executed Chara."

"Fucking World Masters," someone cursed. "They're always above the law."

"Go to hell, Frisk! For letting this…  _thing_  walk among us!"

"You're insane!"

... a lot of people were upset.

_Oh, God. What will Chara do when she finds out about this? She's taking things hard enough as is… Please be okay, Chara._

"I suppose that concludes today's session," Malcom announced. "But before we go, I'd like to leave everyone with one last thought. We really owe it to Asriel, for holding back. However, imagine if Asriel hadn't been so merciful. Imagine if he hated humanity just as much as Chara. With Chara's SOUL, Asriel had the power to destroy that entire village. With the SOULs from the village, Asriel would have had the power to destroy all of humanity. What if this happens again? When the next Chara makes their move, can we trust the next Asriel to hold back…? Think about that. That's all."

With that final speech, Frisk realized that it wasn't just about Chara or himself. What they had just discussed concerned the entirety of monsterkind and humankind. The idea that Chara and Asriel were so close to destroying humanity wouldn't sit well with most humans.

The session was adjourned, and everyone started to leave. Frisk looked at Asgore, who had been quiet for some time. Asgore looked like he was in deep, troubled thought.

"Asgore…? Are you okay?"

"… my son died because of Chara," Asgore muttered.

Frisk whimpered.

"I know," Frisk whispered. "But she didn't mean to get Asriel hurt. She regrets it more than anything."

"… let's just go home," Asgore said.

"Yeah... are you okay?"

Asgore didn't answer, and his expression was blank.

Did Asgore hate Chara? It especially hurt to think that, but Asgore had more reason to hate Chara than anyone. Frisk didn't dare to pry any further.

As Asgore began to take Frisk home, Frisk checked his phone. He had received a voice message from a number he didn't recognize. He played it.

It was Chara.

"Greetings, Frisk! It's me! Toriel got me a cellphone, so I just wanted to say hi! I know you're busy at the Embassy. I hope you're doing alright without me! See you back home."

A tear ran down Frisk's cheek.

"Chara…"

* * *

" **Long ago, Asgore and I agreed that escaping would be pointless... Since once we left, humans would just kill us. I felt a little betrayed when he eventually changed his mind."**

**-Gerson**


	9. Judgement

Toriel stopped the car right in front of Grillby's. Chara picked up Flowey and opened the door.

"Have fun, my children," Toriel told them as they exited the car. "Tell Sans I said hello!"

"We will," Chara replied. "I love you, Mother."

"I love you too. Just call me when you are ready to come back home."

"Alright. Bye, Mom."

Toriel waved goodbye and drove away. Chara carried Flowey towards the restaurant. Sans was already there.

"Heya."

Chara gave Sans a shy smile. "Greetings, Sans. Umm… I hope you don't mind, but I brought Asriel with me."

"Oh, that's fine," Sans said.

"And Toriel says hi!" Chara added.

"Heh, Tori's a good friend. Well, let's go inside."

"Yeah."

Chara and Flowey followed Sans into Grillby's. Everyone greeted Sans warmly as they entered. Chara and Flowey weren't as well-known as Sans, but they still received some respect as the royal children. Fortunately for Chara, most of the patrons were monsters. There were a few humans, but not too many for Chara to handle.

Sans sat down at the bar. Chara knew what was waiting for her when she sat down. She carefully examined her seat. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she sat down… and she was greeted with an annoying gassy sound.

"Heh, heh," Sans laughed. "Careful."

"H-how?!"

"Don't question it," Flowey told her.

Sans shot Flowey a quizzical look. "Hmm? I don't recall pranking you before."

Flowey didn't answer.

"Anyway, whaddya want?" Sans asked them.

"A burger, I guess," Chara answered.

Flowey pointed at the soil in his flower pot. "My food is in here."

"Umm… okay," Sans said. "Grillby, we'll take a double order of burgers."

Without saying a word, Grillby left to get their food.

"So…" Sans said. "How's being back from the dead going?"

"Uh… okay, I guess," Chara replied. "Frisk has been very nice to me, and I'm glad I'm getting to spend more time with Asriel."

Sans was always smiling, but Chara felt like it widened a bit. "You really care about your brother, don't you?" Sans said. "I can relate."

Chara smiled slightly. "Yeah."

"You're just two  _peas in a pod,_  aren't you?"

Chara snickered. "Yes, we're  _rooted_ together. Our friendship is  _as-riel_ as it gets!"

Sans burst with laughter. "You sure are Toriel's kid"

"Yeah…" Chara made a bittersweet smile. "I used to love hearing her jokes."

Grillby came back and handed them their burgers.

Sans offered Chara a ketchup bottle. "Want some?"

"Umm… no thanks," Chara answered, remembering what happened when Frisk had accepted the same offer.

"More for me." Sans proceeded to drink the whole ketchup bottle. Chara had some concerns.

"… what?" Sans asked. "You've never seen a guy drink ketchup before?"

"U-umm…"

_Frisk's friends are so weird…_

Sans looked at Flowey, who had an unimpressed look on his face. "You look like you have," Sans remarked.

Flowey scoffed and averted his eyes. Sans was clearly on to him...

"Say, Asriel…" Sans said. "You wouldn't happen to be the same flower who whispered to my brother, would you?"

"Wh-what of it?" Flowey asked.

"Nothing, really. Seemed like you were good friends, that's all. With you giving him all that flattery, encouragement, advice…  _predictions_ …"

Chara frantically changed the subject. "U-uh… Papyrus is really cool, huh?!"

"Heh, heh, of course he's cool," Sans replied. "Though… it's a good thing he gave up on the Royal Guard, and picked a better career. As soon as he gets lessons from someone that isn't Undyne, I'm sure he'll make something edible."

"Yeah. My mother is a good cook. Maybe Papyrus should ask her for help."

"I know, but Papyrus likes getting his lessons from Undyne."

Chara grinned. "Well, can you blame him? Undyne's the coolest!"

Sans chuckled. "Is she a heroine of yours?"

"Yeah! She's awesome! She would have done anything to free the monsters!"

"I don't doubt it. She was even more vehement on destroying humanity than Asgore."

Chara's smile faded.

Sans laughed it off, as usual. "But hey, that's alright. Lots of us felt like destroying humanity at some point."

Chara nervously laughed. "Uh, yeah... Speaking of that, there's something I feel like I should tell you."

"Oh? Did you want to destroy humanity too?"

"Well..." Chara she glanced around the restaurant, afraid of being watched. She felt exposed at the bar. "Umm… do you mind if we move to a booth?"

"Sure."

Chara picked up Flowey, and they moved to an empty booth. Chara and Sans sat across from each other.

"Chara, are you  _sure_ you want to tell him?" Flowey whispered. "This guy's dangerous. Trust me, you  _don't_  want to be on his bad side."

"I have to do this," she whispered back. "If I want to atone, the least I can do is let people know what I am."

"… fine, but I  _won't_  let him hurt you."

Chara looked at Sans, took a deep breath, and prepared to tell her story. She could do this. She had already confessed it to Frisk and Toriel. Why should Sans be any different?

"Sans," Chara began, "when we met, I informed you that I died of an illness, but that is only half the truth. I did not contract that illness naturally. Earlier, I had accidentally poisoned my father after baking a pie with Asriel. The recipe called for cups of butter, but I instead put in buttercup flowers."

Sans could not help but laugh a little. "That's a good pun… but I imagine the result wasn't very funny."

"No, it wasn't," Chara said. She frowned. "Asgore became very sick from the pie. I did not want to show it, but I felt terrible. Unfortunately, it gave me an idea for a  _stupid_ plan. By consuming the buttercup flowers, I could take my own life. Then, once my body perished, Asriel could take my soul, and together, we could escape the underground and gather six human souls to break the barrier, and grant everyone the freedom they all desired so badly. Monsters would have finally been free, and humanity would have been at their mercy."

Sans listened in silence as Chara's breaths grew heavy, threatening to sob. "But, when Asriel absorbed my soul, I soon realized something: I could  _control_ him, to an extent. Control of Asriel's body was split between us. If Asriel put his foot down, I was powerless, but otherwise, I was free to do whatever I wanted. I could do things  _my_  way. When Asriel got to the village, I... I wanted to kill them all, before they killed my brother and destroyed my people's chance to reclaim the surface.

"I had no faith that humanity could ever coexist with monsters. Perhaps everything would be fine for a few decades or so, but one day, humanity would remember why they banished monsters, and as much as I hate them, I don't blame them. All it takes is seven souls, and a single monster could easily destroy all of humanity. How could they  _possibly_ be expected to coexist?

"Of course, Asriel refused. He took my body to the center of the village, just so he could take me to the golden flowers, and then the humans saw him. They attacked him without mercy. They thought he had killed me. Hmph,  _now_ they cared about me. I begged Asriel to fight back, but he didn't. Even as the humans mortally wounded him, he just smiled, picked my body back up, and left the village, and h-he," her voice cracked, "he d-died because of me. He died because of my stupid plan, my hatred for humanity, and it's a-all my f-fault!"

Sans continued to sit in silence as Chara sobbed, her tears spilling onto the table. Flowey held her shoulder, even though he should have hated her for what she did.

"Wow," Sans eventually said, "that's quite the story. Though, I'm not sure what you hope to gain by telling me."

"I just felt like I should tell you."

"What do you want me to say? That you're a horrible murderer? A psycho? Or do you want me to console you? Tell you that you've changed?"

"I don't really care."

"Well," Sans said, "here's my judgement. For starters, it sounds like you were a pretty bad person."

"Heh, yeah."

"You tried to make your own brother kill many, many people. No matter what the reason, that's messed up. Still, in the end, the only person you killed was yourself, and maybe Asriel. But honestly? That one's on the humans. So, it seem to me like... you pretty much suck at being evil."

"Huh?"

Sans winked. "Honestly, it's super embarrassing. You brought Asriel all the way there, but you couldn't get him to murder even a single person. But maybe… that's what you'd be better at? Not killing anyone? Crazy idea, huh? Let me know how that one goes."

Chara stared at Sans with a bewildered expression on her face. After a while, she started laughing. "Pfft, ha… hahaha!  _That's_  your judgement? I suck?"

"Yep," Sans answered. "Though, I do have a couple questions. Of all the ways to kill yourself, why buttercups? That sounds quite painful."

She nodded. "Yeah, it was. I don't really know why. It just seemed fitting."

"I suppose it may have made Asriel feel more guilty, making him more likely to go along with the plan."

She frowned. "Maybe that was part of it..."

"Though, here's the question that really matters. If given the chance, would you do it again?"

Chara shook her head. "No, I know better now. That said, I'm still not fond of humanity, and I'm terrified we might have another war on our hands."

Sans nodded. "Yeah, I won't judge you for that, but you like Frisk, don't you?"

For just a moment, Chara smiled. "Yeah… When Frisk woke me up, I was so confused. I knew that Frisk's power had somehow awakened me, but… why? Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was a failure like me brought back to life? What was the purpose of my reincarnation? I'm… still not sure. I should be dead.

"However, I know that Frisk and Asriel would miss me if I left this world, so for now… I'll live on for them, and… perhaps there is one thing I can do." Chara stroked Flowey's petals. "Asriel doesn't deserve this. If there's anything I can do for him, then I'll know that coming back was worth it. Maybe that's my purpose, to make things right, to save the brother I destroyed. I don't know how I'm going to realize my purpose, but I'll never stop trying."

Sans laughed. "If nothing else, you sure are determined. I can't say I particularly like you after hearing all this. Still… thanks for being honest with me… and with yourself."

Chara's eyes clouded. She hadn't expected him to be nearly this merciful. She thought he would have told her to burn in hell. "S-Sans…"

"Honestly, in your position, I would have given up a long time ago. Frisk seems to have a lot of faith in you, and I can see why. You were pretty messed up, but it seems like you're trying to do the right thing now. I respect that. My brother always says that anyone can be a good person if they just try. He's pretty naive to be honest, but I love that about him."

More of Chara's tears fell on the table.

"Oh, not again," Flowey groaned. "Chara,  _I'm_  supposed to be the crybaby! Sans, I appreciate your help, but Chara has cried enough!"

"I k-know. I'm s-sorry," Chara apologized. "It's just… Frisk, Mother, you, Undyne, Alphys, and now Sans… n-none of you hate me, e-even after learning h-how rotten I am. I don't deserve it! You should hate me! I'm a demon. I should be burning in hell for what I've done."

"Probably," Sans said. "But I'm not gonna do anything about it. That sounds like too much work."

Flowey eyed him suspiciously. "If you even think about hurting Chara, I-"

"Whoa," Sans interrupted. "What makes you so sure I'd do that?"

Flowey didn't answer.

"What makes you think I'm even strong enough?" Sans pressed. "My stats are  _really_  low. I only have 1 ATK, 1 DEF, and 1 HP."

Flowey swore something under his breath.

"You know, Asriel," Sans said. "You seem to care about Chara a lot."

Flowey remained silent.

"But I heard you're soulless," Sans continued. "Shouldn't you have a hard time caring about anyone?"

"… it's complicated," Flowey answered. "Asriel really loved Chara. He loved her so much that I still remember it. Sans… imagine if you were like me. Imagine if you couldn't love anyone. Now, think of Papyrus. Could you really stop caring about him? Or at least, could you stop wanting to care about him?"

Sans closed his eyes. "I guess not. Heh, yeah. I can't really imagine what it'd be like if I just stopped caring about him."

"I know what you mean, Asriel," Chara said. "Even when I was soulless, I still remembered how much I loved you." Chara smiled. "Heh, I kind of freaked out when I realized it was you. I can't believe you actually unleashed the Absolute God of Hyperdeath on us!"

Flowey laughed. "I'm glad I found you too, Chara. I called your name for so long. I'm so happy that you're finally with me again."

"Me too," Chara warmly replied.

Flowey looked at Sans. "Hey, maybe someday… I'll tell you what I've done, too."

"You can keep it to yourself," Sans told him. "I have a feeling I would rather not know."

That was hardly reassuring, even though he was right. Sans probably didn't need to hear about how Flowey had killed everyone, including Papyrus, for fun.

"Alright," Sans said. "Let's eat before our food gets cold."

Chara laughed. "Yeah."

With that discussion out of the way, they finally started eating.

As they ate, a breaking news report was broadcast. Whatever it was, people in the restaurant were shocked. Chara looked at a TV to see what it was about.

Chara nearly choked on her burger when she saw the headline: 'Frisk Resurrects Mass Murderer?!'

The newscasters went on to explain how President Malcom had released the tapes Asriel had recorded, the ones where Chara came up with the plan. She turned pale. She never should have come back. She should have been dead. Everything would have been better if she was just dead.

Sans grabbed Chara's arm. "Let's get outta here. I know a shortcut."

Chara brushed Sans's hand away. "No, I need to face them."

Chara looked around, locking eyes with everyone in the restaurant. Some looked disgusted, but most just looked confused or scared.

"It's true," Chara told them. "Asriel, my own brother, died because of me. There is no excuse for what I've done. You can hate me all you want. All I ask is that you don't blame Frisk for trying to save me. He's never meant anyone harm."

Nobody did anything. They just continued to stare, still processing what they were hearing.

Sans tugged at Chara again. "Let's go."

"… okay."

Sans lead Chara and Flowey out the door, and suddenly, they were back outside of Toriel's home… Sans could do some crazy stuff.

Sans winked. "Well, I can't say that's how I expected things to turn out."

Chara laughed. "I'm sorry. That was a terrible lunch, wasn't it?"

Sans shrugged. He glanced at Flowey. "Eh, I've probably had worse."

Sans started to walk away, and he waved goodbye. "See ya."

Chara waved back. "See you."

When Sans was out of sight, Chara frowned.

Just like that, it was all out there. Everyone knew what Chara had done. It served her right. She always hated it when people thought they were above consequences, and Chara herself was no exception. She deserved to be hated for what she had done, but this would probably be a problem for Frisk as well. It hadn't even been a week, and Chara was already causing problems for him.

No, it wasn't just a threat to Frisk. It was a threat to the entirety of monsterkind. Knowing just how close humans and monsters had come to another war was going to fill the humans with dread. Humans and monsters had just taken one step towards the next war.

_Frisk., I'm sorry. You never should have-_

"I know what you're thinking," Flowey told her. "Don't worry about Frisk. He'll be fine."

"It's not just that," Chara said. "Once everyone hears about what I tried to make you do..."

"Yeah..."

Chara's phone rang…. It was Frisk. Chara immediately answered. "Frisk?"

"H-hello, Chara. Umm… how are you?"

"I'm… fine. How are you?"

"… I'm fine. I got your message. Asgore's taking me home right now. I'll see you soon."

"See you home."

"Chara, I... stay safe, okay?"

"I will."

Frisk hung up.

Despite herself, a tear ran down Chara's cheek.

"Frisk…"

* * *

" **Young one, when I look at you... I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago... You have the same feeling of hope in your eyes."**

**-Asgore Dreemurr**


	10. Can't Let Go

" **You're the type of person who won't EVER be happy."**

**-Sans**

* * *

After a long, silent, and awkward drive, Asgore dropped Frisk off home. Asgore didn't say anything as Frisk got out of the car. He simply drove away, with a look of anger in his eyes.

_Asgore…_

For the time being, Frisk didn't worry about it. All he wanted was to see Chara. He looked at the setting sun and took a deep breath, and then he walked up to the door and rang the bell. Toriel answered, with a somber expression on her face.

"Greetings, Frisk."

"Toriel… did you hear?"

Toriel nodded.

"How's she doing?"

"I believe she is eager to see you."

"Me too."

Toriel let Frisk inside. "She is in your room."

Frisk thanked her and walked to his room. He quietly opened the door. Chara was sitting in the couch, waiting for him. Chara got up and stared at him, with sorrow and longing in her eyes.

Frisk walked up to her, and they wrapped their arms around each other. They both needed each other's embrace so badly. It felt like finding a warm fire in the middle of a blizzard. Frisk didn't want to let go.

"I'm so sorry, Frisk," Chara whispered.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I'm already causing you so much trouble."

He pat her on the back. "Don't say that. You'll never be a burden to me. No matter what happens, I'll never regret saving you."

Chara sniffled. "Wh-why, Frisk? Why do you care about me so much?"

"I… I just want you to be happy. I can't stand seeing you miserable like this."

Chara broke the hug and stepped away from him. "I don't deserve to be happy. I had my chance to live a happy life, but I threw it away as soon as I ate my first buttercup."

He shook his head. "N-no! You deserve a second chance! I'd give anything to make you happy!"

Chara made a smile, but not a happy one. "Haha… Frisk… you're such a sap. You'd forgive anyone, wouldn't you? You really do believe that anyone can be a good person, no matter how much they hurt you. You've forgiven people who literally killed you."

Frisk gave her a patient smile. "I know you're a good person."

She still looked miserable. "It doesn't matter. I deserve to suffer for what I've done. Everyone's right to hate me."

Frisk knew how to cheer her up. It was time to do what he did best. Frisk caressed Chara's adorable pink cheek. "I don't understand how anyone can hate someone so cute."

She blushed. "F-Frisk?"

Frisk stared into Chara's bright red eyes. "Chara, have I told you how pretty your eyes are?"

"M-my eyes? Humans were always afraid of them. They used to say that I look like a demon."

"I think they're beautiful. They fill me with…"

"Determination?"

"Passion."

Despite her efforts not to, Chara started laughing. "Oh my God, Frisk! Stop it!"

"And you're not just attractive on the outside," Frisk went on. "You're also strong, brave, and determined. You would do anything for the ones you love."

She laughed harder. "You are such a flirt! It's possible that you may have a problem!"

Frisk was tempted to keep pushing, to make it clear that he wasn't joking with her, but now was not the time for that. Chara was far too distressed for him to drop a bombshell like that on her. He bit his tongue and kept his feelings bottled up. He had been hiding them for a year. A little longer wouldn't kill him.

Chara's laughter died down. "But, Frisk, about the Embassy. Are they not going to arrest me... or...?"

Frisk gave her a reassuring smile. "No, Chara. Remember the treaty? You have nothing to worry about."

"Oh. So… what exactly happened?"

"Right! We have a lot to catch up on!"

Frisk told Chara everything that happened in the Embassy.

"Umm… that's the exact opposite of how Boaris was acting before," Chara said.

"I know!" Frisk exclaimed. "It makes no sense! He hated humanity too! Why is he so happy to condemn you all of a sudden? It's… it's not fair!"

"I don't know, but I have something important to tell you too. I recently learned something… interesting about Malcom."

Chara told Frisk about her dreams. She told him everything she had found out about Felicia.

Frisk couldn't believe what he heard. "What? To be honest, I never really liked Malcom, but I don't think he would do something like  _that_."

"Someone murdered Felicia," Chara said. "Chances are, her parents had a hand in it. They obviously hated her; they were afraid of her. They were willing to kill their own daughter just to keep the monsters sealed away."

Chara sounded so certain, but could Felicia's parents have really murdered their own daughter? Then again, Frisk knew from experience that not all parents loved their children.

Chara sighed. "Although… I still don't know exactly what happened. I'm not sure how she was murdered, and I'm not sure what her brother's role in it was. I just know that it couldn't possibly have been an accident. World Masters don't just keel over like that." She smiled at him. "You're proof enough of that."

"Right," Frisk said. "How could they have countered Felicia's ability to reset?"

"That's why Malcom probably had something to do with it. Siblings tend to possess similar amounts of determination. It's possible that Malcom was injected with extracted DT, like that terrorist we encountered earlier."

"But… wouldn't Malcom have become… uh… melty…?"

"Not if he was already close. Usually, when someone tries to become the World Master through DT injection, they just melt to death. In order for it to work, they have to already be close to becoming the World Master. As Felicia's sister, Malcom may have been close enough to take control of the timeline without melting at all." Chara's expression turned grave. "Of course… another possibility is that Felicia simply choose not to reset... We have no way of knowing how many times she was killed."

Frisk wasn't sure which was worse. The thought of Felicia being betrayed her own brother was horrifying, but the thought of her being killed countless times was horrifying too. Frisk didn't want to think about being killed so many times that he lost all hope and gave up. He couldn't think of a worse way to go.

But, was Malcom really involved? Frisk remembered something that Malcom had said. "Umm… come to think of it, I think Malcom mentioned something about losing someone when he was a kid, which must have been Felicia. He said Felicia was close to him. It seems like he genuinely misses her."

"I doubt that," Chara replied with more than a hint of spite in her voice. "If he truly misses her, then why didn't he try to fulfill her dying wish? Felicia died because she wanted to free the monsters. If Malcom wanted to honor his sister, he would have done everything in his power to break the barrier. Instead, he did the exact opposite of that."

Frisk sighed. "I guess that's a good point." Frisk always tried to see the good in everyone, but Chara had a damning case. Malcom had vigorously opposed all efforts to destroy the barrier. If he cared about his sister, it was hard to imagine him going against her like that.

"I think it's painfully obvious what Malcom is trying to do," Chara said. "Frisk, at the end of the meeting, Malcom warned about 'the next Chara and Asriel,' right?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Even I have to admit, it's scary to think about a monster getting seven human SOULs. When Asriel had that power, he could have destroyed the entire world… Thank God they don't know about  _that_  little incident."

"Sorry about that," Asriel apologized, who had been placed on Frisk's nightstand.

Frisk was startled. He hadn't realized Asriel was in the room. "Oh! H-hey, Asriel! I didn't see you there!"

"That's alright, Frisk!" Asriel chirped. "I can tell you're distracted!"

"U-umm…"

"Don't you see what's happening?" Chara asked them. "Malcom's trying to spread fear among humans. He's doing everything he can to remind everyone why monsters were sealed underground."

Frisk let out a small gasp. No, that couldn't be true, could it?

"Best-case scenario," Chara said, "Malcom is trying to do just that, send monsters back underground. Worst-case scenario, he's trying to ignite another Human-Monster War, and he wants all monsters to be eradicated."

"But then… what about Boaris?" Frisk asked. "Where does he fit into all this?"

"I don't know," Chara admitted. "It doesn't make sense. I can't figure Boaris out! One day, he wants to tell the whole world how much he loves me, and the next he…" Chara trailed off in thought.

"What is it, Chara?"

"If it weren't for Boaris," Chara thought, "no one would have recognized me. If it weren't for him, my identity would still be a secret. Frisk… I don't think our encounter with Boaris on the street was an accident. It was set up. He wanted everyone to know I was alive."

Frisk blinked. "But… why would he do that?"

"Frisk," Chara said solemnly, "Malcom is either trying to banish or destroy all monsters, but there is one thing that stands in his way more than anything. You, Frisk. So many people see you as a hero. As long as everyone loves you so much, Malcom will never be able to do anything to harm monsters. Unfortunately, by resurrecting me, you've given Malcom a golden opportunity. He was able to use my past as a reminder of why humans used to fear monsters, and as a bonus, he was able to shake the public's trust in you, by letting everyone know that you brought back someone who tried to help monsters destroy humanity."

"Wh-why would Boaris help Malcom with that?"

"… I still don't know," Chara growled in frustration. "I still can't figure out what Boaris's motives are, but whatever it is, he appears to have made some kind of deal with Malcom. Hmm… I suppose… you are a common enemy. Boaris hates humanity, so it's possible that he wants war too. Malcom and Boaris would both need you out of the way to make that happen."

It was safe to say that Frisk found Chara's conjecture troubling. "So… you think a human and a monster are working together… so their races can fight to the death?"

"That's… what it looks like."

Frisk felt sick. "Why…? Why are they so desperate to destroy each other? Why can't they just trust each other?"

"This is how I used to think," Chara said bitterly. "I used to think there wasn't a future between humans and monsters. I believed that one race would eventually be destroyed, and… I tried so hard to make sure that it wasn't monsters. If I am right, Boaris and Malcom are just like me."

It looked bad, but Frisk's red eyes lit up with hope. "Even if that's true, they won't win! We may have had one war, but that was long ago! We're different now! We can live peacefully! We won't let the war happen again!"

Suddenly, Chara forcefully grabbed Frisk's shoulders and pinned him against the wall. Her beautiful scarlet eyes were filled with hatred. "No, Frisk! They're HUMANS!" She spat into Frisk's face with that word. "All kinds of monsters respect each other, but humans can't even get over differences in their fucking skin color! Humans and monsters will ALWAYS be just that, humans  _and_  monsters! They'll NEVER get over their differences! As long as there are 'humans and monsters,' it's only a matter of time until they KILL EACH OTHER!"

Frisk's eyes widened in fear. He was well-aware that Chara had a dark side, but this was the first time he had seen it firsthand. He couldn't hide being a little scared...

As soon as she saw Frisk's fearful expression, tears formed in Chara's eyes. She sat down on the ground and hugged her knees. "Th-that's right, Frisk. This is who I am. You think I'm just an innocent girl who likes to joke around and make silly puns and sassy remarks, but you're wrong. The humans were right. I'm a demon."

Frisk immediately regretted his reaction. "I… I'm sorry. I understand how you feel. You're just scared."

Chara didn't say anything.

Frisk sat down next to her. "I know you're far from innocent, but you're not evil. You're just… human."

"... Frisk," Chara whispered. "You're not gonna like this, but… you should reset."

"Huh? You think I should try to handle the Embassy better?"

Chara shook her head. "No, you should reset to before you revived me."

A chill ran down Frisk's spine. "Wh-what are you saying?!"

Chara's eyes sparkled with tears. "You shouldn't have tried to save me. You should have just let me stay dead, as I should be. Go back, Frisk. Just turn Felicia's SOUL over to the Government… and forget about me. Let me disappear, forever. Let me be erased from existence. Let me go."

What?! Chara… wanted to die? How could Chara ask him to do such a thing? He shook his head. "Ch-Chara, no! I'll  _never_  do that!"

Asriel looked at Chara angrily. "Are you…  _are you kidding me_?!"

Asriel leaped out of his flower pot and sprouted his six legs. He crawled on top of Chara's knees and glared at her. "After all that, you just want to take the coward's way out?!"

"I... I'm sorry, but Frisk has to reset. Everything would be better if I was dead."

"I get that you think you deserve this. If you want to punish yourself, if you think you deserve to suffer, then keep living! Death is an end to suffering!"

Chara glared back at him. "Yes, I'm sorry I won't be able to suffer for your amusement."

Frisk couldn't believe what he just heard. "CHARA! That's not what he meant!"

Asriel didn't respond. He just stared blankly at Chara.

She laughed bitterly. "You like watching me suffer, don't you? How could you not? There's nothing quite as satisfying as watching a demon like me get what it deserves!"

Asriel still didn't answer. His blank stare turned to anger.

"No, Chara!" Frisk shouted. "Asriel-"

" _He's not Asriel!_ " Chara screamed. "Asriel is dead! And I wasn't the friend Asriel wanted, either!  _You're_  the friend Asriel wished he always had! Neither of you need me! S-so…" She sobbed. "So p-please, Frisk... Let me go. You can be happy without me."

Frisk held Chara's hand. "Is that really what you want?"

She refused to look at him. "I… It doesn't matter what I want. You have to let me go."

He refused to let go. "I'm not going to reset. Even if I do, Malcom would remember everything. So… stay with me. We'll stop him together."

"Frisk…"

"You don't want to die, Chara. If you did, you would have faded away a long time ago, so… what do you want?"

Chara finally looked at him. "I… I want to atone for what I've done. Even if I can't save Asriel, I can at least take care of him. And… I want to live for you too, Frisk. I owe you everything. I love you both so much!"

Frisk was full of relief. He was so glad to see Chara cheer up.

Chara laughed sadly. "I'm such a mess, aren't I? This SOUL has turned me into a bigger crybaby than my brother ever was."

Frisk smiled at her. "It's okay. I know you feel so guilty about... everything, but I'm here for you."

Chara sighed, and she laid down on the floor. "I'm so tired."

Frisk laid down next to her. "Hey, you wanna lie on the ground and feel like garbage together?"

Chara laughed. "Ah, yes. I've gone full Napstablook, haven't I?"

Chara looked at Asriel. "Asriel… I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know you're not exactly Asriel, but I know you're trying to be. And I'm sorry for all those times I called you a crybaby. I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I?"

Asriel said nothing.

Chara frowned. "I just… I thought you were too innocent and naïve for your own good. That's why I told you all those horrible stories about the surface. I wanted to make you stronger... but that was wrong. I should have embraced that side of you, like how Sans embraces Papyrus's innocence. I'm sorry, Asriel."

Asriel sighed, and then smiled at her. "I can't stay mad at you, Chara… and… when I said that Frisk is the friend I wished I always had, I didn't mean that I regret being  _your_  friend. I… I just…"

"I know, Asriel. I wish Frisk was the friend you always had too. Everything would have been better if Frisk had fallen underground instead of me."

Asriel frowned. "What I really wish… is that you and Frisk were  _both_  my friends, and… I wish  _I_  was a better friend. Frisk  _never_  would have let you kill yourself."

Frisk sighed. "You both idolize me so much. You both wish you had been more like me, but keep in mind that I had it easy. In Chara's time, killing herself and six other humans was the only way to free the monsters. In my time, all the dirty work had already been done for me. Not to mention my reset power. If it weren't for that, I'd be dead."

Asriel grimaced. "And even if you did survive… Asgore would be dead. I would have made your happy ending impossible."

"Then, I guess it's a good thing I have this power, huh? I owe my life to it. Still… I can't just reset every time something bad happens."

"… you're right." Chara rolled over to face him. She smiled guiltily. "Sorry for yelling at you too, Frisk."

Frisk smiled back. "Yeah, you spit in my face."

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Frisk kept smiling and shook his head. "Don't be. It was kind of hot!"

Chara blushed and laughed. "F-Frisk!"

Asriel groaned.

Chara smirked. "You big flirt." She wrapped an arm around Frisk and cuddled with him. It was Frisk's turn to blush. "Ch-Chara?"

"I don't deserve you, Frisk," Chara whispered. "But… you're right. I don't want to die. If you really think it'll be alright, I'll stay with you."

Frisk smiled again. "Thank you. I know you're worried, but I'll do everything I can to protect everyone."

Chara held Frisk's cheek. "I know. No matter what happens, you always stay determined. I love that about you."

Frisk's blush deepened. Chara's kind words and her warm touch were both so sweet. How could she ever expect him to let her die? Frisk never wanted to let go of her. He couldn't let go of her.

Chara stood up. She reached out her hand to Frisk. "Come on. Toriel's probably worried sick about us."

Snapped out of his trance, Frisk smiled and let Chara help him up. "Y-yeah."

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel left the room.


	11. Not Your Decision

Chara had another dream. Another memory.

The sun was setting, and Felicia was running in the flower field. She was fleeing from something. Chara could hear her panting breaths, and she could even  _feel_  Felicia's growing exhaustion. Felicia heard her pursuer's footsteps getting closer. Despite her body's protests, Felicia desperately tried to keep up her speed. Sweat poured down her forehead, and she gasped for breath. Felicia was running for her life! After a while, her body couldn't take it anymore, and she slowed down. Whoever was chasing her finally caught up to her. Chara winced as she felt Felicia's pursuer lay a hand on her back.

"Tag!"

_What…? Oh…_

Felicia turned around and looked at a boy about her age, somewhere around twelve. He had shoulder-length blond hair and yellow eyes, and he had a triumphant yet tired expression plastered on his face.

To Chara, something about the boy looked oddly familiar.

"F-finally got you, Felicia!" the boy said through heavy breaths and a wide grin. "You're as determined as they say! But nothing can keep me from  _you_!"

Felicia laughed. "Ah, Nate."

Two more children ran up to them: Jacob (It felt weird to think of him as 'Malcom' here), and a girl with shoulder-length blond hair and purple eyes. The girl looked like she was related to the boy, Nate. She looked about a year or two older than Felicia and Nate.

"Finally got her, little brother?" the girl asked, confirming Chara's hunch.

"Yeah," Nate answered. "It wasn't easy, though."

"Well, what do you expect from the one and only World Master?"

Felicia seemed embarrassed. "H-how did you find out?"

"Your parents told our parents!" Nate answered. "Our parents got really upset when they found out, knowing your stance on the monsters!"

_Damn, new suspects,_ Chara noted. She sighed.  _Nothing's ever simple, is it?_

"Umm… sorry," Felicia apologized.

"Don't worry about it!" Nate told her. "You know I can't get mad at someone with such pretty red eyes!"

…  _that sounds so much nicer when Frisk says it…_

Felicia laughed. "Nathan…! Don't you think you're a little young to act like that? At least wait until we're, like, fourteen!"

Nate winked. "Alright, then!"

Felicia blushed. "Uh... umm..."

"So…" Nate said. "How do we know you're really the World Master? I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure."

Felicia cocked her head. "And what's that? Are you gonna take my DT sample?"

"No, that's no fun," Nate answered. "That would be far too easy. I say, you should show us!"

"And how should I do that?" Felicia asked.

"How about this," Nate began. "I'll think of something for you to do, and then you'll create a SAVE point. Then, I'll tell you what to do, and then you'll RESET and do that thing before I tell you what it is!"

Chara was a bit annoyed. RESETs shouldn't have been used for such childish things. The power to RESET was not a toy. It should only have been used when necessary. Careless use of RESETs angered Chara. Thank God that Frisk was responsible. Chara didn't want to think about what she might have done if Frisk hadn't had so much control over himself.

Felicia smirked. "Why am I afraid of what  _you_  might ask me to do?"

Nate's sister snickered. "Yeah, I'm worried too."

"Alright! I've thought of something!" Nate announced.

Felicia created a SAVE point.

"Ready?" Nate asked.

"Ready!"

"Would you kindly punch Nora in the face?"

"H-hey…!" Nate's sister, Nora, exclaimed.

Felicia clearly wasn't the kind of person who would do that. "What? Why?"

" _For justice...!_ " Nate cried out with a wide smile.

"I'm not doing that!"

"Aw, man! Now I have to come up with something else."

"Oh, let me do it!" Nora interjected.

Nora walked up to Felicia. "We need something completely random." Nora closed her eyes. "Okay, I've thought of something."

Felicia saved.

"Ready?" Nora asked.

"What should I do?"

"Do a jumping jack."

Felicia RESET and did a jumping jack.

"Wow…" Nate swooned.

Nora was visibly disturbed. "O-okay… that's terrifying."

Felicia was confused. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"What's WRONG?! You have control over time itself! Don't you realize how dangerous that is? That kind of power… nothing about it is right!"

_Finally, a human who makes sense!_ Chara thought.  _I like Nora! Uh, no offense, Frisk!_

"Don't say that!" Jacob shouted. "My sister is NOT a threat to anybody!"

"Yeah!" Nate agreed. "Felicia's a great person! She won't do anything bad!"

Nora scoffed. "She wants to free an entire race of people who have the power to destroy us all!"

_Never mind. Nora sucks!_

Felicia clenched her fists. "What we did to them was wrong. We should have freed them a long time ago."

Nora's purple eyes glared at her. "That's not your decision to make."

Even as a passive observer, Chara could feel the tension emanating from Felicia and Nora.

"Oh! Would you look at the time?!" Nate interrupted. "It's almost time for dinner! Come on! We don't want to be late!"

"R-right," Felicia said.

Felicia, Jacob, Nate, and Nora left the flower field and headed for a manor in the distance.

* * *

Chara woke up. She checked the time. It was past 10 am. Frisk and Toriel had probably already eaten breakfast. Chara got out of Frisk's bed (Frisk was too nice. Would he ever sleep in his own bed again?) She looked around and saw Flowey planted in his pot on the nightstand.

"Morning, Chara!" Flowey greeted with his signature smile.

"M-morning, Azzy," Chara groggily responded.

"A great morning person as always!"

Chara smiled. "Shut up." She wiped the morning gunk out of her eyes.

"Anyway, Mom has breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen," Flowey informed her.

"Thanks."

Once Chara was ready, she picked up Flowey and brought him with her to the kitchen. As she walked down the hall, she saw Frisk run through. He looked sick. His hand was covering his mouth like he was going to puke. Chara gasped. "Frisk! What's wrong?"

"T-Toriel," Frisk wheezed, "sh-she made…"

Toriel ran into the hall, following Frisk. "Frisk! I thought you liked snail pie!"

Chara beamed. "SNAIL PIE!" She sprinted past Frisk and Toriel and ran straight into the kitchen. On the table, Toriel had left a slice of snail pie just for her. Next to it was a half-eaten slice. It must have been Frisk's. Chara bit into her slice and savored its snaily goodness.

"I'll never understand how you and Mom can eat those things," Flowey said.

"Well, it's an acquired taste," Chara replied with a full mouth.

" _Since when is the taste of dirt an acquired taste?!"_

Chara swallowed. "It doesn't taste like dirt! It tastes like… snails!"

"Exactly!"

Frisk walked back into the kitchen. He looked like a small child about to see the dentist. He sat down and, after a considerable pause, continued eating his slice. Chara gave him a sympathetic look. "Frisk, I know you don't like snail pie. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I'm sure it won't hurt Toriel's feelings."

"N-no, it's fine!" Frisk insisted. He took a bite, and his face twisted with disgust. He looked like he was eating poison, and Chara knew exactly what that was like…

"Frisk…" Chara whispered. "I didn't realize you hated it  _that_ much. Why didn't you say something?"

Before Chara's resurrection, Toriel occasionally made snail pie for Frisk. Chara could tell that Frisk wasn't a fan of it, but he never seemed to  _hate_  it. He never looked like he was going to throw it back up.

"B-because…" Frisk answered. "I knew that  _you_  liked it, but now that you're not in my head…"

Chara's heart swelled. "Oh, Frisk… you didn't have to do that for me." She smiled. "As long as I get my chocolate, I'm happy!"

Frisk smiled back. "I didn't mind. Like I said, I'd give anything to make you happy."

That was exactly what she was afraid of.

Just how much did Frisk care about her? Ever since her resurrection, Chara had been growing increasingly suspicious about something. Did Frisk… actually have a crush on her?

No, no! How conceited could Chara get? That was just how Frisk was with everyone! Frisk was pretty much the greatest person in the world! He would have given anything to make  _anyone_ happy, not just her! Back underground, he even would've given up his own life to save the monsters if he had to. The only reason he didn't was because of what Asgore planned to do after shattering the barrier. He had to make sure freeing the monsters wouldn't result in a war. Otherwise, he would have gladly allowed Asgore to take his soul. Frisk just selflessly loved everyone!

Even all that flirting was just another one of Frisk's quirks. From a plane to  _freaking Toriel,_ the list of people who Frisk had flirted with was very long, and very weird. He went on a date with Papyrus. He hit on Undyne, and he didn't feel the need to correct Alphys when she thought Undyne's love letter was from him. Frisk had an… interesting sense of humor, as Toriel had put it. All of Frisk's flirting with Chara was just Frisk being Frisk!

But… what if it wasn't? What if Frisk was serious? Chara… liked Frisk a lot. Frisk was everything that Chara should have been. Because of Frisk's actions, the monsters finally went free. Unlike Chara, Frisk really had become the future of humans and monsters. Frisk… was far too good for Chara. Chara didn't deserve someone so nice, so brave, so funny, so cute, so perfect…

Yeah, Chara didn't deserve Frisk… but that didn't stop her from wanting him…

Chara sighed and took another bite out of her snail pie.

Toriel entered the kitchen. Frisk gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Toriel. I never really liked snail pie. I only ate it because Chara liked it. When she was in my head, she could sense whatever I sensed, so…"

Toriel smiled back. "Ah, I understand. You are very kind, Frisk."

Frisk had another nausea attack.. "Sorry, may I be excused?"

"Go ahead."

Frisk left the table and headed for his room. Poor Frisk, but at least he had the day off. He didn't have any ambassador work that day, and it was still summer. Chara wondered what he would do with it. On a related note, what should she do today?

Well, for starters, she had snail pie to eat!

Toriel sat down with Chara and Flowey at the kitchen table. She looked at Chara fondly. "My child, I still cannot believe you were there with Frisk this entire time."

Chara smiled back. "Sorry about that. I thought it would be best if you didn't know." Her smile turned into a frown. "The same went for Asriel."

Toriel frowned too. "My children… I know that recent events have not been… ideal, but it will be okay. Chara, no matter what anyone says about you, I will still love you. And Asriel, even though you lack your SOUL, you are still my son."

Chara smiled again. "Ah, Mother. You're going to make me cry again."

Flowey was silent. He had probably already heard everything that Toriel could say to comfort him.

"Asriel," Toriel said, "I know you are also not fond of snail pie. Shall I prepare you something else?"

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I don't need to eat."

Toriel blinked. "You... do not need to eat?"

"I'm a flower. I eat soil."

"Oh... I see how that could be an issue for physical food, but surely you can still consume magical food."

"Sure, I  _can_ , but it's unnecessary."

"Well, if you say so..."

The room was silent for a while.

"… my child," Toriel said. "I am sorry for calling you a 'miserable creature.' Had I been aware of your situation, I would have been more understanding."

"Don't worry about it," Flowey replied. "You can't hurt my feelings. I don't have any feelings to hurt."

Toriel whimpered. "My child…"

Flowey crawled out of his flower pot leaned close to Chara. "Don't you see why this was a bad idea?" he whispered. "I can't be the son she remembers. I tried. I tried so hard, but no matter what she did, she could never make me feel like Asriel again."

Yeah, this was a  _very_  cheerful family breakfast.

"… Frisk wants us here," was all Chara could say.

"Yeah," Flowey said. "I guess I at least owe Frisk that much. If it weren't for him, I'd still be tormenting the Underground for my entertainment."

Chara sighed. "I guess we both owe Frisk everything."

Chara finished her pie, and talking about Frisk made her eager to see him. She put her plate away and headed for Frisk's room. His door was closed. Chara could faintly hear his TV running from inside. Chara knocked on the door.

"Frisk…? Can I come-"

Chara felt a familiar sensation, like being pulled.

**FILE LOADED**

"CHARA! WAKE UP!"

_Wh-what…?_

Chara opened her eyes. She felt extremely groggy, like she had just woken up. She was… lying down, on something soft. What was going on? What had happened? How did she get there? Wasn't she standing outside Frisk's room just a moment ago? Chara tried to focus her blurry vision, and she saw Flowey looking over her, with an exasperated expression on his face.

That quickly woke Chara up. She looked around and realized that she was in Frisk's room, in Frisk's bed. She checked the time. It was almost 8 am.

"A-Asriel… what's going on?"

"Frisk reset!"

"What? Why…?"

"I don't know! He just ran out of the room without saying a word!"

Chara jumped out of bed. What was Frisk doing?! She ran out of the room. She found Toriel in the foyer, looking very confused and very worried.

"Mother!" Chara shouted. "Where did Frisk go?"

"I… I do not know," Toriel answered. "He just ran right out the door, and I was going to make him some snail pie…"

_Frisk, what's wrong?_

Chara grabbed her phone and dialed Frisk's number.

He didn't answer. Chara grimaced.

What happened…?


	12. Playtime

" **It's so excited that it thinks fighting is just play."**

**-Check text for the Greater Dog**

* * *

_Freedom… outside…_

_Want… want to play…_

_Outside… humans here..._

_Humans… humans… nice._

_See… nice human…_

_Want to play…_

_No! Playing with human… dangerous!_

_Yes! Playing with human… fun!_

_Play… play with human…_

* * *

Feeling sick from the disgusting snail pie, Frisk stumbled into his room, closed the door, turned on his TV, and collapsed onto the couch. He'd be fine… eventually…

The current program on TV was Ebott News.

Frisk groaned. Lately, Ebott News only wanted to talk about two things: Chara - who had been branded as a 'demon' - and the threat of monsters absorbing human souls. The potential of war made for much catchier headlines than anything about peace or happiness.

"Today, we have an exclusive look into the Human Government's findings under Mount Ebott," the reported announced. "We are excited to present a special report from our very own President Malcom!"

The camera cut to the inside of the Snowdin Library. Malcom was sitting in a chair, reading a dark green book.

"This book is an interesting read," Malcom stated without taking his eyes off it. "Listen to this." He began to read the book out loud. "'Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of 'SOUL' is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist.'"

Malcom closed the book and stared at the camera with a stern expression. "So… according to monsters, they are MADE OF love and compassion, while humans can easily exist without these traits. They claim that they are fundamentally better than humans, as manifested by their very SOULs. I must be frank here; this is some of the most blatant, inflammatory, misanthropic propaganda I have ever seen!"

Frisk winced. Now that he thought about it, that book actually did sound pretty racist.

"It seems clear that monsters did not regard humanity as the greatest people," Malcom continued. "To be fair, who can blame them? For millennia, they have resented us for being the reason they were trapped under Mount Ebott. For millennia, they have blamed  _us_  for all their problems. Just over a year ago, they were technically at war with humanity. Can we really believe all of that hatred simply vanished just because some kid came through and acted nice?"

No… it was never about hate. The monsters just wanted to be free. Asgore only declared war because he thought it was necessary. It wasn't out of any desire for power or revenge. Asgore never wanted those things. He just wanted to give his people hope. It was never because the monsters hated humanity. They just… didn't trust them. They thought if they escaped to the surface… it would be kill or be killed.

Frisk prayed that the monsters were wrong.

"Despite this, monsters seem to have gotten along with us just fine so far," Malcom admitted. "Perhaps most monsters really do mean well, but how long will it last? How long will it be until a monster who isn't so nice gets ahold of human souls? If such a monster gets seven souls, will the Sentry Monsters even be able to stop them?  _When_ it happens, how many humans will die? How many monsters will die? What if we can't-"

Malcom was suddenly cut off. 'EMERGENCY ALERT' flashed across the screen.

Frisk didn't like the timing.

The screen cut to the center of Surface Home. Frisk turned pale when he saw what was happening.

"Alert! The Military Police has sealed off this entire block of Surface Home in response to a monster's assault on a human child."

In the center of the street was… Endogeny, and… a young human boy. The child was bleeding. Needless to say, he was terrified. Endogeny looked blissfully unaware of the grave situation they had caused. Their amorphous body, which vaguely resembled the dogs they once were, convulsed excitedly, and their orifice was open and pointed straight at the child. Their body dripped their sticky liquid onto the child. It was a truly horrific sight.

_N-no… this can't be happening…_

Endogeny and the human were surrounded by military police officers. All of the officers were pointing carbines at Endogeny. One of them was a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and purple eyes. Judging by the double gold bar insignia on her uniform, she must have been the Captain. She held a megaphone and barked orders at Endogeny.

"MONSTER! Cease this assault at once! If you don't comply, we WILL fire!"

Endogeny didn't understand. They laid a claw on the child, drawing more blood. They didn't realize how dangerous their body was. The boy screamed.

"Fire!"

Frisk gasped. "No!"

The officers unloaded their weapons into Endogeny. A hailstorm of bullets flew into their body. Frisk's whole body was shaking. "N-no… They didn't deserve to… They didn't mean to… h-huh?"

Endogeny was completely unfazed. How was that possible? Endogeny didn't even comprehend that the officers were trying to hurt them. They turned towards the officers. They must have thought the officers wanted to play with them. Endogeny bounced up and down, and energy bullets shot out of their orifice. The officers dived for cover, and a one-sided firefight ensued. Endogeny didn't seem to take any damage at all from the bullets. The officers, however… One of them got shot in the shoulder. He fell down, dripping blood onto the asphalt road.

_This can't be happening!_

Despite his injuries, the boy bravely tried to get Endogeny's attention. "P-please… stop… y-you're hurting them…"

That got Endogeny's attention, but they were still unaware of all the pain they were inflicting. They jumped onto the boy and pointed their orifice into his chest. The boy's orange eyes widened in terror.

Endogeny fired their energy bullets… and the road ran red with the boy's blood. As his screams faded, the boy's orange SOUL floated above his dying body.

Everyone stared at the exposed SOUL.

Endogeny whimpered. They finally realized what they were doing, what they had done.

Frisk's phone rang. It was Agent Miller.

"Frisk… reset now!"

Frisk didn't need to be told twice… or once. Frisk reached for his last save file.

As he reset, he heard someone knock on his door. "Frisk…? Can I come-"

_Sorry, Chara…_

Frisk sent the world back in time. He went back to the SAVE point he made that morning. He saw Chara asleep on his bed, and a very confused Asriel on his nightstand. "H-huh…? Frisk, did you…?"

He looked at Asriel and Chara, tears threatening to form in his eyes. There was no need to get them involved, no need to put them in danger. If they got hurt, Frisk couldn't count on his power to save them. He had lost his power before; there was no telling when he would lose it again. Frisk had to solve this problem on his own.

"Frisk, what-"

Frisk ran for the door.

"FRISK!"

Frisk grabbed the knob, and a vine wrapped itself around his wrist, tightly. He struggled with all his might, but he couldn't move his hand an inch.

Frisk desperately looked at his captor. "L-let me go, Asriel."

Asriel was determined. "Not until you explain what's going on!"

That wasn't an option. The less they knew, the better.

Frisk had to break free of Asriel's grip. He used his free hand to reach for something in his pocket. Fortunately, Asriel wasn't actually attached to his vines; he just summoned them with magic. Frisk wasn't going to do any permanent damage. It was still going to hurt, though. Frisk's hand trembled. "Asriel… I'm so sorry."

"H-huh?"

Before Asriel could see it coming, Frisk whipped out Chara's knife and sliced off the vine Asriel was holding him with. Asriel screamed, and Frisk ran out the door.

Nothing was worse than hurting someone he loved.

Frisk ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran through the hall. He ran past Toriel. He ran out the house and down Ruins Street towards the center of Surface Home, earning many confused looks among the morning crowd.

Once his house was out of sight, Frisk slowed down to catch his breath. His phone rang. It was Chara. He let it ring.

… _What I am doing?_

Even if he could RESET, Frisk didn't want Asriel or Chara to get hurt, but… he had already hurt them himself, and not just by cutting Asriel. They must have been so confused and afraid from the RESET. How could Frisk just leave them in the dark after that? It was like when Toriel tried to stop him from leaving the Ruins. He was being overprotective. Frisk's phone rang again. With a deep breath, Frisk brushed aside his fears and answered. "Chara, I-"

"Frisk! What the hell?!"

Frisk whimpered. "I'm sorry, but I had to reset."

"Did you have to ditch us?! Did you have to hurt Asriel?!"

"I… I'm sorry, Chara! I panicked, but I'm not far! I'm just down Ruins Street, towards the center of town."

Chara sighed. "Okay… don't move, alright?"

"I won't. I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Yeah, you better." Chara hung up.

Frisk frowned and sat down on the sidewalk. Chara was the last person he wanted to upset. Everyone who passed by gave him a funny look, but he didn't care.

"Frisk…? What are you doing?"

Frisk looked up and saw Agent Miller, unaware of what had happened before the reset.

"Oh, my stalker has arrived," Frisk japed.

"It's my job. What's going on?"

"A monster called Endogeny killed someone, so I reset to stop it from happening," Frisk quietly said. "You told me to do it, actually."

It was kind of hard to read Miller through his sunglasses, but he seemed to be thinking it over. "Yes, that did happen, didn't it?"

Like monsters, humans didn't fully remember events that had been reset. However, like monsters, humans did have trace memories of such events, only it was even stronger for them. Strong emotions such as the warmth of a close friendship or the pain of losing a loved one never really went away. If told something that had happened before a RESET, a human always  _just knew_ whether it was true or false, especially if the event had elicited strong emotions within them.

At the moment, it worked to Frisk's advantage, but it was going to be a problem soon. It meant that Frisk couldn't lie about what happened before a reset. If Malcom decided to tell everyone about Endogeny's attack, anyone who had witnessed it would know he was telling the truth, and no story Frisk could make up would prove otherwise.

"Hmm…" Miller said. "No doubt Malcom will remember something so serious. Go back home, Frisk. I'm sure the police are already on this."

Frisk clenched his fists. "No! They don't understand them! They'll try to kill them!"

Miller sighed. "Frisk, I know it's hard for you to remember, but you're still just a kid. Leave this to the professionals."

Frisk laughed harshly… he may have been spending too much time with Chara. "Are you serious?! You're giving me the 'You're just a kid' lecture? 'Leave it to the professionals?' Could you be any more of a stereotype? You're the type who would obey any order without question, aren't you?"

Miller took off his sunglasses and glared at Frisk with his yellow eyes. "You don't know a thing about me."

Frisk head footsteps. Chara had caught up with him. Frisk was so relieved to see her. He stood back up. "Chara-"

Chara's red eyes were glowing with anger. She shook her finger at him. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

Frisk frowned. "I'm so sorry."

"Do you have any idea what that was like?!" Chara yelled. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be ripped back in time without any warning?! To know something terrible is about to happen, but no idea what?! How could you leave us like that?! Why, Frisk?! Do you not trust me?! Is that it?!"

Frisk winced at the accusation. "Chara, I trust you with my life. I'd trust you with my SOUL. I just don't want you to get hurt. Asriel, too." Frisk was struck with a fresh pang of guilt. "Uh… where is he?"

Asriel shattered the concrete sidewalk like glass as he sprouted out of the ground. Understandably, he was just as angry as Chara.

Frisk felt like his SOUL was going to crack. "Asriel…"

"I get it, Frisk," Asriel spat. "This is revenge, isn't it?"

Frisk shook his head. "N-no! That has nothing to do with it! I already forgave you, Asriel!"

"Then why'd you run away from us?!"

"I just want to protect you! What if something happens to my resets power again? What if you die, and I can't reset?"

"And what if YOU die, Frisk?" Chara asked. "We want to protect you too!"

Tears fell from Frisk's eyes. "I… I know. I sh-shouldn't have l-left you like th-that. I should n-never have h-hurt Asriel. I'm s-so sorry!"

Chara and Asriel's anger vanished. They looked at each other.

"Umm… I think we may have overdone it a bit," Chara told Asriel.

"Yeah," Asriel agreed.

Chara gave Frisk a comforting smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Frisk… we're not  _that_  mad at you. After all, we've both done much worse things than this."

"I literally tortured you, Frisk," Asriel added. "This is nothing, really."

Frisk wiped away his tears. "Th-thank you." He looked at Asriel. "Asriel… we haven't really spent much time together, but I do care about you. You're my brother, and I never wanted to hurt you."

Asriel rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah, crybaby. Hee hee. Frisk, you're allowed to make a mistake every now and then. You don't have to be so perfect!"

Chara smiled at him. "Even though you are." She wrapped her arms around Frisk and hugged him.

She was so warm. "Chara…"

"You don't have to face this alone," Chara told him. "We're here for you. You said we'd do this together, remember?"

Frisk hugged Chara back. He loved her so much. "Y-yeah. Ever since we met, you've always been there for me, Chara. With you by my side, I feel like I can do anything."

Chara blushed a little. "Frisk…"

Letting go was so painful, but they had a serious task ahead of them. "Umm… I guess I should tell you why I reset now."

"Y-yes," Chara answered.

"Please do," Asriel said. "I'm pretty sure this is getting too mushy even for Asriel. People are giving us looks, and that Miller guy looks really uncomfortable."

Chara laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he's fine!  _You_  have more emotion than him! Seriously, does this guy even have a SOUL?"

"…Why does everyone keep saying that?" Miller actually looked a little sad.

"Don't worry, mister!" Asriel chirped. "You're not the only soulless one around here! Maybe we should start a club! The Soulless Fan Club! It's gotta be better than the Flowey Fan Club at least!"

"Hey, don't you have better things to do?"

Asriel grinned. "And he even knows my catchphrase!"

"He's right though," Chara said. "Alright, Frisk. What happened?"

Frisk took a deep breath as he prepared to deliver the horrible news. He brought Chara and Asriel close and talked as quietly as possible. "It was Endogeny. They… killed someone."

Chara and Asriel gasped in unison.

"N-no," Asriel said.

"It's so excited that it thinks fighting is just play," Chara muttered with a mix of nostalgia and horror.

"Yeah," Frisk said. "I didn't see how it started, but yes, Endogeny was 'playing' with some kid. And when he died, his SOUL… everyone saw it."

"What were they doing on the street?" Chara asked. "Who let them out?"

For obvious reasons, the amalgamates seldom walked the streets. Normal monsters were hard enough for humans to get used to; the amalgamates and their hideously deformed bodies would have caused panic everywhere they went. They also were not… mentally stable. Over a dozen minds crammed into one body caused problems. If pushed, an amalgamate could forget who they once were and turn aggressive. For these reasons, the amalgamates were generally confined to their homes where they were taken care of by their families. Frisk recalled that Endogeny in particular was under the care of Dogamy and Dogaressa.

"Well, we'll start with the Dogi couple," Frisk said. "They're the ones taking care of them. We'll see if they know anything."

Chara nodded. "Agreed."

They started walking, quickly. Frisk always had his reset power, so they didn't really have to worry about being too late. Still, they'd spent an awful long time chatting.

"There's one other thing I don't understand," Frisk said. "Before I reset, the police shot Endogeny, but they weren't hurt at all. Why is that?"

"Hmm… must have something to do with all the DT," Chara guessed. "Though, that one DT-injected human didn't survive gunshots. Perhaps it's because the amalgamates lack physical mass, not unlike an incorporeal monster such as Napstablook or the Mad Dummy."

"Ah, that makes sense," Frisk agreed. He closed his eyes and smiled. "But… umm… how did the monsters lose again?"

"Don't even get me started on that one," Asriel mumbled. "Seriously, where was  _he_ during the war?"

"The humans had more magicians back then," Chara explained. "Ghosts are only vulnerable to magic attacks. Back when human mages were more common, not even they were a serious threat."

Asriel kept mumbling. "All the magicians in the world wouldn't have mattered against  _him_. Sure, I got him eventually, but not without resets… lots of resets… I can still feel them…"

Frisk looked at Asriel. "What are you talking about?"

Asriel waved a vine dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it."

"Humans still have magicians," Chara continued. "Just not as many. While monsters are naturally attuned to magic, humans have to train themselves to use it. For humans, technology has replaced magic for the most part. Hmm… if another war were to break out, ghosts might overwhelm the humans. I don't see how the humans would be able to stop the ghosts from acquiring souls." Chara didn't sound particularly fussed over that possibility.

"Even disregarding ghosts," Chara went on. "Today's battlefield is much different from the ancient battlefield of the Human-Monster War. Back then, monsters only had magic and primitive weapons to fight humans with. Today, guns exist. To kill a human, all a monster would have to do is find a gun, aim, and pull the trigger. Monsters are prohibited from possessing firearms for a good reason, but a law is just words. Even without a weapon, would it really be that hard for a monster to kill an unarmed human one-on-one? Most humans would just panic if a monster attacked them. If any monster was struck with the desire to kill, it would not be extremely difficult for them to get human souls."

Frisk held his head down. There was no denying it: monsters were incredibly dangerous. Just a single monster claiming seven human SOULs could have meant the end of the world. If that happened, everyone's only hope would be that another monster with seven souls could stop them, but what exactly  _would_  happen if two or more godlike monsters existed? Would one overpower the others, or would it be a tie? Seven appeared to be some kind of magic number in the world of DT. Seven magicians sealed the barrier, and seven SOULs allowed a monster to become godlike. It didn't seem possible to exceed the power of seven human SOULs. Indeed, how could infinity be surpassed? Malcom was right; a godlike monster may very well have been unstoppable.

Frisk's somber expression spread to Chara. "See why I wanted to destroy humanity?" she sorrowfully asked. "Yes, I hated them, but it wasn't about that. The two races are simply too dangerous to coexist. As long as both humans and monsters exist, the potential to destroy the world exists. I'm still afraid of that; I'm still afraid that it'll eventually come down to humans or monsters."

What could Frisk say to cheer her up? She was right; as long as both races existed, the threat of SOUL absorption existed. It was an unsolvable problem. Humans and monsters could try to prevent it all they wanted, but the only absolute solution was the elimination of one race.

"Well, it hasn't happened yet," Frisk said.

"Yeah," Chara replied. "It hasn't happened yet, even though it wouldn't be difficult at all. It really goes to show how kind monsters truly are, but will it always be that way? A single not-so-kind monster is all it could take."

Frisk's head was spinning. There had to be some peaceful solution, but what?

Chara noticed Frisk's discomfort. She held his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "We can worry about this later. For now, let's just focus on the task at hand."

Frisk exhaled in relief. "Yeah." He smiled, enjoying the soft sensation of Chara's hand. "So, you want to hold my hand, Chara?"

Chara laughed, tension somewhat eased. "Only you would flirt at a time like this."

"Just trying to lighten the mood, so…"

Chara smiled and gave Frisk's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'd love to hold your hand, Frisk."

Frisk beamed. "Thank you, Chara."

Chara's bright red eyes glowed with affection. "You're welcome, Frisk."

Asriel sighed.

They had a difficult task ahead, but no matter what they faced, Frisk, Chara, and Asriel had each other's backs.

Trying to ignore the growing dread in their minds, they continued walking towards the home of Dogamy and Dogaressa.


	13. Pain Teaches

" **Chara. You haven't learned a thing. Hee hee hee."**

**-Flowey**

* * *

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel were walking at a steady pace. In true military spook fashion, Miller had left to observe them from a distance.

Chara grew anxious. "How much time do we have?"

Frisk checked the time. 8:42 AM. Endogeny had killed the human at around 10:30 AM. The attack probably hadn't started long before that, but he didn't know how long Endogeny had been outside. "We should have at least an hour and a half until the attack starts," Frisk said.

That wasn't enough time to put Chara at ease. "…Well, I suppose if the worst happens, you can just RESET again."

"I hope I don't need to," Frisk replied.

Chara nodded. "We should hurry."

"Yeah."

They picked up the pace, but not so much that they drew attention to themselves. They didn't want to cause panic. Seeing the World Master in distress tended to make people nervous, and part of Frisk still clung to his hope that no one would ever need to remember Endogeny's… episode, even though he knew that Malcom was going to rant about it the first chance he got.

They turned onto Snowdin Road, where most of the dogs lived. Frisk happened to know that the Dogi lived somewhere in there, but he didn't know their exact address. Fortunately, he knew someone who did. Frisk took out his phone and dialed Undyne's number.

"Hey, Frisk! What's up?"

"Undyne, umm… I need to see Dogamy and Dogaressa. Like, now."

"Uh… okay. Not sure what the rush is, but I'll let them know you're coming."

"Thanks, Undyne."

Undyne gave Frisk their address. "But, why do you need to see them so badly?"

"Sorry, I'd rather not say, but it's very important."

"They're the ones taking care of Endogeny, right? Is that what this is about?"

Frisk froze. Lucky guess? Or…?

"Alphys still feels really bad about the amalgamates." Undyne's usual fiery personality turned solemn. "I don't think a day goes by where she doesn't think of them."

Frisk's breathing grew unsteady. If Alphys found out about this…

Undyne laughed it off. "Sorry, Frisk! I didn't mean to get all mopey on you!"

Frisk laughed back. "Oh, that's alright! See you later, Undyne."

"Later, punk!" Undyne hung up.

Frisk sighed and headed for the Dogi residence. They walked by a row of townhomes until they found the address Undyne had given them. Frisk knocked on the door. Dogamy opened it, with Dogaressa right beside him. Frisk hadn't noticed before, but both of their black jackets had a picture of their spouse's face on it. Frisk found it both kind of cute and kind of weird.

Chara groaned. "These two are even worse than our parents were," she whispered to Asriel.

"Ugh, I know," he whispered back.

"Good day, Frisk!" Dogamy greeted.

"I don't believe we've met your friends," Dogaressa said.

"Oh, aren't they Asriel and Chara?" Dogamy asked. "The Dreemurrs' children?"

"Ah, that's right. I'm still wrapping my head around the whole resurrection thing."

"Sorry," Frisk interrupted. "But this is urgent. Is Endogeny home?"

"Endogeny?" Dogamy asked. "Endogeny's always home."

"Poor thing hasn't had a walk in weeks," Dogaressa added.

Well, that explained things.

"May we come in?" Frisk asked. "We, uh, really need to see Endogeny."

"Of course, come in!"

Dogamy and Dogaressa let them inside their townhome. It was a humble home with nothing special really. The living room had standard white carpet and white walls. The kitchen had a wooden plank floor, perhaps to make it look like a common home in Snowdin. Monster homes on the surface generally weren't much different from human homes, although some monsters such as Undyne still liked to make more unique and expressive designs.

"We know it's not much, but make yourselves at home!" Dogamy said cheerfully.

"Can we get you anything?" Dogaressa offered. "We were just about to go out for breakfast, but since we have guests…"

"No thanks," Frisk said. "We just need to talk to Endogeny."

"Endogeny's room is just upstairs, to the left," Dogaressa informed them.

"Thanks," Frisk replied.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel headed upstairs. On the second floor was a simple hallway leading to various rooms. Other than the fact that it smelled like a bunch of dogs, nothing was out of the ordinary. Except… one of the doors was covered in the sticky, white residue of an amalgamate. Frisk's face scrunched up in disgust, but he opened the door. He felt a little relived when he saw Endogeny inside, as opposed to outside. They were sitting in an empty corner, and their body was convulsing. They looked stressed and uncomfortable. Frisk could feel their anxiety.

"They might as well still be trapped Underground," Chara whispered.

Frisk walked up to them. He reached out his hand to pet them. Endogeny seemed to appreciate it. They hummed affectionately as Frisk lovingly pet their amorphous body. Frisk smiled. "There, there. It'll be okay."

Chara sighed. "Frisk… you're being too nice. They  _killed someone._  We need to make sure they  _never_  do it again."

Frisk frowned. "But, how'd we..."

Chara's expression turned ice cold. "Stand aside, Frisk." She gently yet firmly pushed Frisk out of the way and walked up to Endogeny. "Asriel, I have no right to ask this, but -"

"Yeah, I'll do it." Asriel crawled next to Chara. Their ominous tone was creeping Frisk out.

Chara stared at Endogeny. A fire was burning in her red eyes. She smiled; it wasn't a friendly smile. "Greetings, Endogeny. I am Chara."

Endogeny barked happily, as oblivious as ever.

Chara stopped smiling. She spoke slowly. "Endogeny, do you know why we've come here?"

It was hard to tell what Endogeny was thinking, but Frisk got the sense that they were confused.

" _You_ ," Chara said with a scathing tone. "Without our guidance, you would have murdered an innocent child. Yes… that's right. A child. An innocent human child died because of  _you_. Fortunately, Frisk was able to use his power to correct your mistake. But, do you think that absolves you of the consequences?"

Even Endogeny was getting creeped out.

Chara cocked her head towards Asriel. Asriel nodded, and he summoned energy bullets.

Frisk didn't like where this was going. "Wh-what are you doing?"

They ignored him. "You need to be taught a lesson, Endogeny," Chara said. "You need to be taught the difference between playing and fighting. You need to understand what you have done. You need to feel all the pain you have inflicted."

Asriel fired his energy bullets. Endogeny made the same heartbreaking whimper that other dogs made when they got hurt.

Frisk  _really_  didn't like this. "A-Asriel, Chara…"

"This pain…" Chara whispered. "This is what you made an innocent child feel. Do you like it?"

Asriel hit Endogeny again. Their body shuddered in pain. Frisk couldn't stand the noise they made.

"How does it feel?" Chara asked them. "Is this fun to you? Is this your idea of playing?"

Endogeny's body shook left and right. 'No.' They were saying ' _no_.'

"No…?" Chara asked. "Hmmm… How curious. You seemed to have a different opinion when the roles were reversed. Let us make sure you understand."

"STOP!" Frisk cried. "They've had enough!"

Asriel fired another volley of energy bullets. Frisk ran in front of Endogeny and blocked the bullets. The white hot energy stung badly. Frisk cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees. A red stain formed on his blue and magenta striped shirt.

Chara's eyes widened. "FRISK!" Her menacing tone was instantly replaced with fear for Frisk's life. She ran to his side.

"Y-you idiot," Asriel murmured.

Chara checked Frisk's wounds. "Why, Frisk?! Why do you have to be so nice?!"

Frisk coughed up a little blood. "I've had worse. Just… don't hurt them anymore."

"A-alright, Frisk!" Chara sobbed. "We'll stop." She pulled out her phone and summoned a chocolate bar from her dimensional box. "Here, eat this. It's monster chocolate."

Frisk took the chocolate and ate it. The magical food dissolved in his mouth. His wounds were healed, but the pain remained. "Th-thanks."

Chara looked at Endogeny. It was hard to tell if they were actually wounded, but they were definitely in pain. "I guess we should give them some, too." Chara summoned another bar of chocolate.

Frisk gasped. "Chara, don't!"

Chara was confused. "Huh? Why not?"

"Chocolate's poisonous to dogs!"

Chara frowned. "Oh, it is…? I'm sorry…"

Frisk smiled. "That's alright. You didn't know."

"I haven't changed at all…"

"Chara…"

She took a deep breath and looked at Endogeny. She reached out her hand to pet them. Endogeny recoiled back in fear. Chara gave them a friendly smile. "It's okay. I just… needed you to understand. You don't want to hurt anyone, do you?"

Endogeny hesitated for a moment, and then they shook the part of their body that resembled a head.

"We didn't want to do that," Asriel said. "But we didn't see any other way. I can't say I'm sorry that I did it, but I am sorry that I had to do it."

Frisk realized something about Asriel; he wasn't really himself or Flowey anymore. He was somewhere in-between. Both the pain of being soulless and the memories of his love had shaped him into a new person. He wanted to do the right thing, but he wasn't afraid to make hard choices, either… He had become strong.

Endogeny hummed in understanding. Chara sat down next to them, still smiling. "Yeah, I love dogs! And to be honest, I'm not even that mad about what you did. Thing is, I'm not particularly fond of humans, with one exception." She glanced at Frisk. "However, that one exception made me believe that peace between humans and monsters might be possible after all. He wants nothing more than that. I'll do whatever I can to help make his wish come true."

Frisk almost felt like weeping. He smiled. "Chara…"

Chara stood up and pat Frisk's shoulder. "This nice young human has done so much for your kind. He's literally died for you. Several times."

Frisk blushed. "It wasn't  _that_  many!"

Chara continued. "But even as the people he was trying to help kept hurting him, he never wanted to fight back. Even when he bled to death, he did it with a smile."

_Uh… I don't know about that one. I love monsters, but dying sucks…_

"And in the end," Chara said. "Thanks to his kindness, monsters were finally able to go free. Aren't you grateful for the chance he has given us? Don't you want to make sure it won't go to waste?"

Endogeny barked in agreement.

"Then don't kill, and don't be killed," Chara quoted.

"That's the best you can strive for," Asriel finished.

Endogeny nodded. Contented, they sat on the floor and fell asleep.

Chara smiled at Frisk. "I think we've done all we can."

Frisk nodded in agreement. He turned to leave and opened the door. Before walking out, he looked back and whispered, "take care, Endogeny."

They left the room. Frisk created a new save file.

"...T=they'll still be unhappy," Chara whispered. "We didn't actually solve any of their problems."

Frisk sighed. "Maybe someone will find a way to heal them someday."

"I don't know."

Dogamy came upstairs. "Frisk-" He saw the blood on Frisk's shirt. "Oh my! Frisk, your water's leaking!"

"O-oh, it's just a scratch," Frisk lied. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, alright," Dogamy replied, probably not too familiar with human biology. "Anyway, did you invite more guests?"

"Ummm… no?"

"Well, more humans are at our door."

Cold sweat formed on Frisk's brow. That could only mean one thing… Frisk and the others ran downstairs. They saw Dogaressa talking to an officer of the Human Government Military Police. Frisk recognized the woman who Dogaressa was talking to; it was the same woman who gave the order to shoot Endogeny. Frisk noticed she had a sword sheathed on her hip; which was common among high ranking officers of the HG Military. Frisk also noted her purple eyes, which indicated a SOUL of perseverance. She wasn't going to back down easily.

"What is this about?" Dogaressa asked the officer. "Why does everyone need to see Endogeny all of a sudden?"

"Endogeny has committed murder," the officer bluntly answered. "They killed a human child. Frisk saved the child's life by resetting the timeline, but that doesn't excuse Endogeny of their crimes. The Human Government demands that you turn Endogeny over for arrest."

Dogaressa yelped. "What?! Endogeny would never-"

"They did! Now hand them over!"

"Frisk," Chara whispered. "I can't be certain, but I think I know her. She looks like an older version of someone I've seen in one of my dreams. She knew Felicia. I believe her name is Nora."

Chara had another dream? Frisk would have to ask her about it later.

Dogaressa looked at Frisk. "Is… is that true? Did Endogeny really…?"

"Yes," Frisk sadly admitted, "but they didn't mean to."

"Oh, so they  _accidentally_ murdered a kid?" Nora challenged.

"Yes!" Chara shouted. "They didn't know what they were doing! Not that I would expect a human like you to understand!"

Nora scoffed. "Chara… I don't understand why we haven't just put you down like the psychopath you are."

Even though he understood why, Frisk couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger every time someone insulted Chara like that. Nora didn't understand her, and she didn't understand Endogeny. Chara, however, didn't seem to care what Nora thought of her.

Nora noticed the red stain on Frisk's shirt. "What happened to you? Did your bleeding heart get the better of you?"

Frisk always took that expression as a complement. He smiled. "I guess so."

"That was Endogeny, wasn't it?" Nora assumed. "Typical Frisk. Why do you put up with all that abuse? How many times have monsters killed you?" She pointed at Dogamy and Dogaressa. "I bet those two right there have killed you!"

Dogamy started to sweat. "W-well…"

Yes, they did. Dogaressa got him. She sent an axe right through his SOUL.

"Good thing you were the World Master," Nora said. "Because if not, then not only would  _you_  be dead, we'd  _all_  be dead. Your recklessness would have given Asgore his seventh and final SOUL, and that would have been the end of humanity."

Frisk grit his teeth. Why was this woman insulting him, all his friends, and everything he stood for? Although, he had to admit that she had some points. He didn't like to think that Asgore really would have used his SOUL to wage war against humanity, but then why did he say it in the first place? Several monsters such as Toriel, Mettaton, and Sans had warned him not to let Asgore take his SOUL; none of them thought Asgore was bluffing. But in any case, the monsters were free now. They no longer had any reason to fight humanity. "It's true that Asgore once declared war," Frisk said. "But we're at peace now. Monsters don't mean humans any harm, and Endogeny never meant to hurt anyone."

"Endogeny is either a murderer or an idiot," Nora countered. "Either way, I'm taking them in."

"You can't do that!" Chara yelled. "We know the law! While resets may be used as evidence for a planned crime such as murder, defendants may not be held accountable for spontaneous crimes such as manslaughter if the crime had been reset."

As an ambassador, the law was something Frisk had studied closely over the past year. The law that Chara mentioned was created long ago. It allowed the World Master to prevent serious crimes without overwhelming the courts over smaller crimes that hadn't actually happened. Logically, this law would certainly apply to Endogeny, who hadn't intended to harm the child. The only problem was actually proving that Endogeny hadn't intended to harm the child. The average human who saw what happened would have a hard time believing it was an accident.

"Well, look who's an expert at the law," Nora mocked. "Funny, for someone who has completely disregarded it, along with all sense of human decency. You probably would have been perfectly happy if Endogeny had absorbed that SOUL and went on a human massacre."

Frisk had heard enough. "Leave her alone! You don't know Chara! You may dislike her all you want, but I won't let you insult her!"

In an instant, Nora drew her sword and pointed it right at Frisk's neck. "Get out of my way."

Frisk had faced death many times before, but something about a human threatening him made it much more terrifying. Nora's eyes were ice cold. Frisk really felt like Nora would kill him if he pushed her just a bit more. His whole body was shaking. He strongly felt the urge to reset, to get away from the cold steel less than an inch from his neck. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up back home, safe with Chara and Asriel.

"Captain Miller!"

Captain… Miller…?

Agent Miller ran into the room. Much to Frisk's relief, Nora lowered her sword and turned to face him. Her hostility eased, a bit. "Ah, long time no see, Brother. What are you doing here?"

Chara's eyes widened. "N-no way…"

"My job," Miller said.

"Ah, that's right," Nora replied. "You're part of that little 'protection squad.'"

Miller looked offended. "I'm  _in charge_  of that 'little' protection squad!"

Nora smirked. "Yeah, sure. Come talk to me when Jacob gives you get a  _real_ job."

"It  _is_ a real job!"

Nora looked at her brother and chuckled. "You cut your hair!"

"Yours is still the same."

Frisk didn't know why, but Chara was completely freaking out over something. "Th-that's impossible! How could  _he_  become  _that_?!"

Nora's brief lightheartedness ended. She ceased to look at Miller as a brother. "Agent Miller, these three are obstructing Endogeny's arrest. They're in my way."

Agent Miller sighed and looked at Frisk, Chara, and Asriel. Frisk dared to think there was some genuine sympathy in his yellow eyes. "Look, Endogeny will be given a fair trial. If they didn't intend to kill the child, they will likely not be charged with anything."

"Like hell they'll be given a fair trial!" Chara snarled. "Malcom is going to do everything he can to shine Endogeny in the worst light possible!"

"That's not our problem," Nora coldly replied.

"Don't you see what's going on here?" Asriel asked. "Even if Endogeny doesn't get charged, the mere existence of this trial is going to be a HUGE strain between humans and monsters! Chara's right! Malcom is going to use this chance to plant as much doubt as he possibly can!"

Nora's purple eyes flashed with hatred. "And maybe we  _should_ be afraid! Now, this is your last chance! Turn over Endogeny, or you're going with them!"

"Frisk," Dogamy whispered. "Maybe we should just cooperate."

"It doesn't look like there's any other way," Dogaressa whispered.

Frisk was torn. There was  _always_  another way. He was the Royal Ambassador. He was supposed to be better than this, but-

As if reading Frisk's thoughts, Nora said, "Frisk, I know you feel proud of yourself for what you did in Mount Ebott, but this is the REAL world. In the underground, you were living in a fairy tale, but now that tale has ended. In this world, not everything can be solved just by being nice, and not everyone can have a happy ending."

Nora's brother had said something similar. Even Asriel had said something like that. Were they right? Was Frisk living in a fairy tale? Was he too much of an idealist? Frisk looked at Chara. She looked so angry, but she didn't look like she knew what to do, either. Asriel also looked so hopeless. Frisk was just about to concede and let them upstairs, when Endogeny made their decision for them. Endogeny hovered down the stairs and drifted to Nora.

Chara gasped. "E-Endogeny, what are you-"

With great effort, Endogeny spoke. "W-we've… hurt... M-made… mistake… W-will… go with you…"

_Endogeny…_

Nora looked at the barley coherent mass that was Endogeny in disgust. "Ugh, look at this thing. I don't see why you're all gushing over a blob. Alright, listen up, blob!" Nora read Endogeny their rights.

"J-just don't hurt them," Dogamy pleaded.

"They were like our first child!" Dogaressa exclaimed.

"Sorry, but Endogeny's not the one I'm worried about," Nora said without any sign of actual remorse. "Malcom said this thing shrugs off bullets like nothing. Your Royal Scientist has made some truly grotesque creatures."

"…Get off our property," Dogaressa ordered.

"As you wish," Nora said. With Endogeny in tow, Nora and Agent Miller left the Dogi residence.

Frisk gave the Dogi an apologetic look.

"It's alright, Frisk," Dogamy assured him.

"We're not mad at you," Dogaressa said. "We know you did your best."

Chara was very depressed. She rested her head on Frisk's shoulder. Frisk held her. "Chara…"

"Let's go home, Frisk."

"… yeah."


	14. Confessions

Toriel finally received a call from Frisk. She could tell from his voice that something terrible had happened, but all Frisk said was that he, Chara, and Asriel would be back soon. Toriel was going to make snail pie for them, but something in the back of her mind told her not to, so she made more butterscotch-cinnamon pie instead. She dearly hoped that they were okay, and she wished they would tell her what was wrong. In the past, Chara and Asriel had both acted this way often. Sometimes they would look so depressed, but whenever she tried to ask what was wrong, Chara would just laugh it off and insist that everything was fine. Asriel had often cried, but he also refused to explain why.

In retrospect, Toriel had gotten a good idea what their problems were. Asriel, as the Prince of Monsters, lived a rather sheltered life. He had been very lonely, and he was worried about his future responsibilities as the heir to the throne, as the heir to a kingdom that was barley clinging to its hope. It was not until he found Chara that Asriel had truly felt close to someone. As for Chara… she did not climb Mount Ebott for a happy reason. She understood and shared Asriel's fears over his royal title, as well as his loneliness. As someone who had been hailed as 'the future of humans and monsters,' Chara was also afraid of not living up to her expectations. Combine that with her hatred for humanity… it was no wonder what had happened.

Toriel frowned. As their mother, she had failed both of them. She should have understood what they were going through long before they had taken such drastic actions. She was supposed to take care of them. She was supposed to keep them safe, but she did not. She let her children die. She had failed them…

… Toriel was not going to fail her children again.

At last, they arrived home. Frisk opened the door. The expression on his face, on all their faces, was heartbreaking. They all looked miserable, and Frisk looked like he had been injured. What had happened?!

"Children, what is the matter?"

None of them answered. They all just gave her a sad look.

"Talk to me," Toriel pleaded. "Frisk, why did you reset? Why did you flee your home so suddenly?"

Frisk barley made eye contact with her. "There... there was an accident."

Toriel could hardly believe the story that Frisk told her. He told her about how he saw the amalgamate called Endogeny inadvertently kill an innocent child, and how he tried but failed to persuade the authorities not to arrest them.

"We couldn't stop them," Frisk said. "I knew they didn't deserve to be taken away, but I couldn't stop them…"

"Do not feel bad, Frisk," Toriel told him. "I know that you did all you could." She smiled. "Do not worry. I am certain that when the courts judge them, they will find Endogeny innocent. I highly doubt this case will even go beyond the preliminary hearing."

"Y-yeah," Frisk said. He looked a bit better. "You're right. Endogeny will be fine. No sane jury would convict them. The crime hasn't even happened, and they didn't plan the crime. Even if I didn't reset, they weren't mentally stable enough to be considered guilty. There's nothing to worry about."

Toriel pat Frisk's head. "Everything will be alright." She looked at Asriel and Chara. They did not look as convinced. "Asriel? Chara? Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, just fine," Chara lied.

Before they died, Toriel would have allowed her children to work out this matter themselves. Not anymore. Toriel looked through her. "Chara, what is disturbing you?"

Chara avoided eye contact. "Don't you see? This isn't about Endogeny. They killed a human. They could have absorbed a human SOUL. No matter what happens to Endogeny… we are now one step closer to the next Human-Monster War."

The Human-Monster War… Indeed, that atrocity was not something that Toriel wished to relive. She still remembered when the first war started. It had happened so fast, so suddenly. The humans had feared the monsters' power to absorb human SOULs so greatly that they united in a campaign to exterminate the entire monster race. While it was true that monsters had absorbed human SOULs before, it had never been done with malignant intentions. Even so, the humans were not willing to risk allowing such a dangerous power to exist. Countless monsters were turned to dust. It was only through their surrender that monsters were spared, but sealed underground.

Yet, despite losing many loved ones during the war, Toriel did not hold a grudge against humanity. It was not fair to blame the humans for something that had happened millennia ago. That said, it was important to remember history, lest it be repeated.

"I believe humans and monsters have both learned from the past," Toriel said. "They know what such a war would lead to. I am confident that we will not make the same mistake a second time."

Chara' scowled. "How can you say that? Until they saw Asriel, the humans had completely forgotten about us. Monsters never forgot what they had lost, but among humans, the war had faded into mere myth and legend. That's how little the humans cared. They couldn't even be bothered to  _remember_  what they had done to an entire species. They felt no regret for the genocide they had committed."

Toriel was at a loss for words. She had to do something, but what could Toriel say? What could she say to someone who hated humanity so strongly that it drove her to sacrifice her own life?

"Humans never learn," Chara growled. "At this rate, it's only a matter of time until Malcom and Boaris get their war! I just hope when it's all over, the monsters are the ones left standing!"

Toriel's soul skipped a beat. She knew that Chara hated humanity, but witnessing it firsthand was an entirely different matter. How could she not have realized how strong it was? Did she not truly understand her own child?

It was so obvious now. Toriel recalled the first family photo they had taken with Chara. She had hidden her face behind the bouquet of flowers they had given her. Back then, Toriel had laughed it off as mere childish silliness, but now Toriel could see the pain and anxiety that her adopted child had been expressing.

When they first met, Chara was so afraid. She did not yet trust her new family. She did not become like a sister to Asriel overnight; it slowly happened over time. Toriel had not liked to think about it, but it was clear that Chara's past on the surface had conditioned her to be distrustful of others. The signs were all there, but Toriel had failed to to see just how far Chara was willing to go. Toriel could only blame herself for that.

Chara looked away in shame. "But who am I to talk? I never learn, either."

Toriel tried to comfort Chara, but Chara brushed her away and ran to her room. Why should she chase after her? What could she do? Toriel sat down at the kitchen table and rested her head on it.

Asriel sighed and looked at Frisk. "You get Chara. I'll take care of Toriel."

"… okay."

* * *

Frisk left to coddle his precious not-quite-yet-official-but-you-know-it's-coming girlfriend. Meanwhile, Flowey looked at the old hag that was Toriel.

"What do you want?" Toriel asked. "What could I possibly do for you?"

Flowey used his vines to pull himself up on top of the table. One might not think a soulless creature like himself would be able to console anyone, but on the contrary, Flowey had become friends with everyone in the underground at least once. He had done everything that world had to offer, good and bad. He knew Toriel better than he knew her when he was Asriel. He had made her happy… and he had made her suffer. He knew exactly how Chara had broken Toriel. He had this. Flowey rested a vine on Toriel's shoulder, calmly looked her in the eyes, and gently said…

"QUIT WHINING!"

Toriel groaned.

Okay, maybe this was a bit harder without actually being able to reset anymore. Flowey sighed. "Look, I get that you feel pathetic for letting me, Chara, and six other children die."  _Genius, Flowey. Bring up the other children. Guilt trip her back down to the Underground why don't you?_ "But what Chara and I did, that was something no one could predict. Believe me, I know a thing or two about predicting people. It wasn't your fault."

Toriel lifted her head and looked at him. "Asriel, do you still love Chara?"

That question caught Flowey off guard. "Huh? Well… I don't really love anyone anymore," he answered honestly. "But… up to the end, yes. Even as he died, Asriel still loved Chara."

"I see," Toriel replied. "You were very compassionate, my child. If I were in your position, I must confess that I do not know if I could still love Chara." Toriel sniffled. "I am sorry, but there is no denying it. What she tried to make you do was  _sick_. I still love her because she is my child, but if she were not, well, look what happened between me and your father. I could never truly forgive him for his actions, and what Chara did is not that different. They have both committed utterly disgusting acts."

_Yeah... good thing you don't remember the things_ I've _done to you._

"… hey," Flowey said. "Wasn't it you who said not to blame anyone? We're all at fault here. Don't tell Frisk I said this, but honestly, Chara  _does_  have more than her fair share of blame. Still, I'm hardly blameless myself. I could've stopped Chara. I could've told you what she wanted me to do, but instead I handed her the flowers she killed herself with. I don't regret the decision I made at the village, but I regret  _that_  decision more than anything. If anyone let Chara die, it's me, not you."

"… my child," Toriel said. "You no longer view yourself as Asriel, do you? I understand if you do not want me to think of you as Asriel. However, I will still consider you my child. Even if you cannot love me, I shall love you regardless."

… nope, nothing. He had heard it before, in fact.

"I don't think any of us are the same person we were back then," Flowey said. "You, me, Chara, Dad… we've all changed."

"I... I suppose we have... Haha, remember the first picture we took with Chara?"

Flowey genuinely smiled. "Ah, yes. She was so nervous back then."

"Needless to say, it was not the last. We took another later, and the difference was astonishing! You could really see how much happier she had become!"

"Heehee, yeah. It made me so happy."

"... I am sorry," Toriel apologized. "I know we have all suffered. I will try to be strong for you. Do not worry about me. I shall be all right." She rested her head back on the table. "I just need a minute."

Flowey sighed again.  _I hope Frisk is doing better..._

* * *

Frisk quietly entered his room. He looked inside and saw Chara sitting on the couch. She looked like she wanted to cry, but she was holding it back. She jumped a bit when she saw him "Oh, Frisk! I'm… I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

Frisk smiled at her. "Alright, then may I sit with you? I've haven't had you all to myself since I got you out of my head."

He had no shame.

Despite herself, Chara's cute pink cheeks grew pinker. "S-sure, Frisk. I'd like that."

Frisk sat down next to her on the couch. They were both silent for a while. Eventually, Chara turned to face him. She touched the bloodstain on his shirt. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I've been a bad friend, haven't I?"

Frisk shook his head. "Don't say that. You've  _always_  been a great friend to me."

Chara frowned, still tracing his bloodstain. "Look at this.  _I_  did this. I made my brother torture a mentally ill dog, and this is what you had to do to stop me."

"Well, that's not something you hear everyday."

"I... I guess not."

Frisk held her hand. "Hey, you did what you had to do. Believe it or not, I'm glad you did it. Yes, you did take it too far. Yes, I had to stop you, but I don't know if I could have gotten through to Endogeny like you did. If it were just me, Endogeny may never have understood what they had done. You helped them in a way I never could have. You're strong, Chara."

Chara laughed quietly. "Why am I not surprised? As long as it's there, you can see the good in anyone." She paused for a moment. "How about Nora? Can you think of anything nice to say about her?"

Frisk smirked. "Well, she's got some nice purple eyes and-"

Chara slapped him, not  _too_  hard. "Frisk! She's at least three times your age! Then again, you  _did_  flirt with Toriel…"

Frisk laughed. "I'm kidding! You know that! Besides, they are nothing compared to your beautiful red eyes!"

Chara grew hot and flustered. "Wh-what's with you and my eyes? You have red eyes too, you know."

"Yes, but yours are so bright and passionate!"

Chara barley managed to stop blushing. "Please stay focused. This is important. Jokes aside, anything you like about Nora?"

Frisk thought it over. "Hmm… well, despite teasing him, she seems to like her brother, so she can at least be nice to the people she cares about. Actually, if you just take away her blatant racism against monsters, I'm not sure if she's that bad a person at all."

"Ah, Frisk. Of course. Of course you don't hate her. You're so precious." She frowned. "But, I could never be nearly as forgiving as you. I hate her with every bone in my body. I can't believe she pointed her sword at you! If she had dared to spill a single drop of your blood, I would've killed her!"

"I... I understand. I don't like violence, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to protect someone you love."

Chara calmed down. "You  _are precious to me_ , Frisk. But, doesn't it bother you? Knowing how different I am? How hateful I can be? Asriel was right; I'm nothing like you."

Frisk held her hand tighter. "Chara, we have more in common than you realize. For starters, we both love monsters, don't we? We were both willing to fight for their freedom. You did take it too far, but that's not unforgivable. Well, I forgive you, at least."

"I... I don't know…" Chara said. "Which was stronger? My love for monsters, or my hatred for humanity? What was I really fighting for? You like to think that I did it for love, but what if I was just a demon all along? Even I'm not sure."

Frisk touched the heart locket that Chara wore around her neck. "What kind of demon would wear something like this? If you are a demon, you're the most loving demon I've ever heard of."

Chara held her locket and looked at it for a while. "Anything else?"

Frisk smiled. "Well, there  _is_ our fashion sense! And our hairstyles! I bet people can't tell us apart at a glance!"

Chara failed to resist smiling back. "Serious answers only please."

"But Chara, that's one of the things I love about you. You can get very serious, but you also have a great sense of humor!"

" _Frisk…_ "

Frisk put his hands up. "Alright, alright! Serious Mode: on!" He thought it over some more. He frowned. He  _did_  come up with something serious.

"... we both have red eyes," he said. That was  _not_  a joke. Their eye color, their SOUL color, was not superficial by any means.

"Yeah," Chara said, understanding Frisk's meaning. "Heh, I guess that's also something Felicia has in common with us… Hey, I still haven't told you about my last dream."

Frisk had almost forgotten. "Ah, yes! Tell me everything!"

Chara explained everything about her latest dream of Felicia. "So… still think Nora's not that bad?"

Frisk thought about it. "Well, her opinion on World Masters isn't exactly unusual."

Chara's red eyes flashed with anger. "That's hardly the worst part. She would have let the monsters rot underground forever. Even if she didn't have a hand in Felicia's death, she probably wasn't exactly sad to see Felicia go."

"It  _does_  move her up the suspect list," Frisk admitted. "But it doesn't prove anything."

Chara sighed, and she smiled. "In any case, I still can't believe Nate is Nora's brother. He's Agent Miller! I don't know how that goofball became the military robot he is now! I mean, it  _has_  been a long time, but still."

Frisk chuckled. "Ah, so that's what you were freaking out over." Although, Frisk was curious as well. What  _did_ change Nate? What froze the soul he apparently once had? Could it have been… fallout from Felicia's death? Or… was it an act all along? Jacob, Nora, Nate, and their parents were all possible killers.

"But Felicia was so awesome!" Chara exclaimed. "You should have seen her! The way she stood up to Nora! It was incredible!"

Frisk smiled. "I'm glad you found another human you like."

Chara frowned.

Frisk realized his mistake. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."

Chara shook her head. "No, you're right. I need to understand that you're not the only good human out there. There  _are_  good humans. I know that. I always knew that. It's just… I can't stop seeing the worst in humanity. The monsters said it themselves. Monsters pride themselves on love and compassion, while a human can easily live without those things."

"I know you're not going to start loving humanity overnight," Frisk said. "I know I'm not enough to represent an entire race. Give it some time. I'm sure you'll warm up to them, if you just try."

"Assuming the worst doesn't happen," Chara said. "How could I ever forgive humanity if they let the war start a second time?"

Frisk struggled to come up with something to say, but how  _could_  she forgive humanity if they slaughtered everyone she loved?

A desperate expression appeared on Chara's face. Suddenly, she pinned Frisk against the back of the couch and grabbed him by the shoulders, rather tightly. "Ch-Chara?!"

"Frisk! Tell me it's going to be okay! Tell me there WON'T be another war! Tell me I won't have to watch Asriel die again!"

Frisk took a deep breath. He answered Chara as hopefully yet honestly as he could. "I know things look bad. I don't know what I can do to fight Malcom and Boaris, but I won't give up! I want a future where everyone gets along in spite of their differences, and I'll do anything to stop another war from being fought over them…" Frisk touched Chara's cheek. "But, I can't do it alone."

Chara's eyes welled up with hope. She embraced him. "Thank you, Frisk. I still can't say I trust humanity, but I trust  _you_. I'm so glad I met you."

Frisk smiled. "You know, Chara. If you keep holding me like this, I might start wanting a bit more…"

Chara's entire face glowed red. She jumped off him and looked away. Frisk laughed in his head. Maybe that was a bit too much…

"F-Frisk…" Chara stuttered. "I... I have to ask you something… What exactly am I to you?"

Frisk made a tantalizing smirk. "Ah, Chara. You want me to just come out and say it? Where's the fun in that?"

Chara appeared to be screaming in her head. "Y-you… motherflirting... frisky… Frisk…"

_Aww, poor Chara…_

* * *

... n _o. He's not going to beat me. I'll show him who's in control!_

Chara calmed herself and gave Frisk her best seductive grin _._  "You don't want to tell me? Fine, but  _I'm_ not so patient. I'll come out and say how  _I_ feel." She crawled back over him. She could see his cheeks starting to turn pink like hers. Good. The more uncomfortable he was, the better. Ignoring her own impulse to blush, Chara whispered in his ear...

"... I want you, Frisk."

Frisk's blush went from pink to deep red. "Ch-Chara… I… I…"

Revenge was sweet. Chara didn't relent. She lovingly stroked his cute chocolate brown hair. "At a loss for words? That's alright. Take your time, my sweet Frisk."

Frisk stared into her. His red eyes were so dashing. "Chara… would you like to go on a date with me?"

And with that… Chara immediately went back to blushing harder than Tsunderplane. "F-Frisk… are you serious?"

"Yes."

"You mean, an actual date?"

"Yes."

"Not like, a date with Papyrus date? A  _real_  date?"

"A real date."

Chara's SOUL pounded. She struggled to speak while Frisk looked at her with nervous anticipation. "Chara… please say something…"

Chara couldn't believe it. Frisk had actually asked her out! Chara couldn't believe that such a kind and loving person could want  _her_. She didn't deserve him. No one who had committed sins as great as hers deserved someone so pure. She should have told him that she wasn't good enough for him, that he could find someone better than her, but instead…

"Yes," Chara said. "Let's go on a date, Frisk!"

* * *

_Wait a minute,_ Flowey thought.  _I hope Frisk isn't doing TOO well!_

* * *

" **Those two were really insufferable together... Nuzzling noses, bein' all cute n' cuddly in public... Embarrassing their children... They were so sweet it made me SICK. Thank god those days are over!"**

**-Gerson**


	15. Till the Petals Fall

It had been a week since Endogeny's incident, but Frisk had something more personal on his mind. He and Chara wasted no time planning their first date. As one would expect of her, Chara preferred to go somewhere that was run by monsters, but she definitely wanted to go somewhere nicer than Grillby's, which left one obvious choice. The MTT Restaurant was notoriously difficult to get a reservation for, but Frisk got Mettaton to pull some strings.

"But Frisk darling," Mettaton said over the phone. "Well, besides seeing my lovely face, why do you need a table for two at my restaurant so urgently?"

"U-umm..."

"Could it be? Has someone finally smitten the long sought after heart of Frisk?"

"Y-yes..."

"I KNEW IT! Tell me! Who is the lucky date?"

"... it's Chara."

Mettaton paused. "Well... that is an... interesting choice... I LOVE IT!"

Frisk laughed. "Thanks, Mettaton."

"Don't worry, Frisk! I'll make sure you have your table! And your chairs, and your plates, and your forks, and your kni-"

"Y-yeah, I've got it."

"Alrighty, Frisk! We'll have something special planned when you arrive! See you-"

"W-wait! Mettaton... can you... uh... keep quiet about me and Chara?"

Mettaton's tone turned uncharacteristically serious for him. "Ah, yes, I understand. That's probably best."

He uttered a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Mettaton. See you there."

"Toodles!" Mettaton hung up.

It wasn't that they wanted to keep it a secret; they just didn't want Mettaton screaming it from the top of Mount Ebott. When the public found out about him and Chara... not everyone was going to take it well. Some people barley tolerated letting Chara live. They still saw her as a demon who would kill them all if she had the power to do so. Some even went as far as to call her  _the_ demon from the ancient human prophecy. They thought Frisk was insane to trust her. When they found out that Frisk had gone as far as to  _date_ Chara... yeah...

But, part of Frisk was excited for them to find out. He wanted to let everyone know how much he cared about Chara. He wanted to show them they didn't have to fear her. He loved her, and if people judged him for that, so be it. Frisk knew he wasn't going to change their minds, and that was all right. He wasn't trying to make anyone like Chara. They could dislike her as much as they wanted, but Frisk would be damned if he let anyone take her away from him.

With a deep breath, Frisk opened the door out of his room. Chara was waiting in the hall, dressed as usual. They had considered dressing more formally, but Chara said she wanted Frisk to look exactly as he did when they met. She said there was something 'iconic' about his striped shirt. Frisk smiled and agreed. Neither of them were much for dressing up anyway. They just wanted to be themselves.

When she saw him, Chara grinned and leapt into his arms. "Oh my God, Frisk! I'm so excited!"

Frisk laughed. "Me too."

"I haven't been this happy in over a hundred years!"

"Haha, I'm sorry I took so long."

Chara smirked. "So, how long have you been waiting for this day?"

"Chara... I've wanted to date you since... Well, remember that random girl who asked me out a while back, and I told her I liked someone else?"

Chara's eyes widened. "Frisk... you meant... me?" She giggled. "You wanted me before I even had a body? How was  _that_  going to work?"

Frisk smiled. "Well... I guess you could say you were...  _close to my heart._ "

Chara howled with laughter. "Oh, Frisk! Toriel would be proud!"

"So, what about you? When did you become interested? Was it my expert flirting?"

She smiled mischievously. "Well, remember when I flirted with Tsunderplane? Do you know what I whispered to them?"

"But Chara, I thought that was a secret."

She grinned. "I told them to back off, because you're  _mine_!"

Frisk laughed. "So, you got a little yandere with Tsunderplane?"

"Haha, just a little... And, if I just had a SOUL, I'm sure I would have loved you back then too."

Frisk felt warmth in his SOUL. "You're so sweet..."

Toriel walked into the hall and smiled at them. "You two seem quite cheerful this evening. Did something special happen?"

Frisk froze. They hadn't told her. She had no idea they were about to start dating.

"Oh, Mom,." Chara said. "Uh... Frisk and I are going to the MTT Resort tonight."

"Well, that sounds lovely! What about Asriel? Is he coming with you?"

"Umm... n-no, just me and Frisk."

"Oh, well, I suppose if Asriel does not wish to come, that is-"

"I'd LOVE to come!" Asriel crawled into the hall with a big smile on his face. "Golly! Why didn't you guys tell me you were going somewhere? Don't tell me you forgot about your best friend!"

"B-Brother," Chara stuttered. "Uh... Frisk and I have reservations at the restaurant for just the two of us..."

"Just the two of you? Why, my dear sister, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Frisk are going on a date!"

"Asriel!" Toriel shouted. "Do not be ridiculous! Simply because Frisk and Chara have reservations at an elegant restaurant does not mean... Is this a  _date_?!"

Frisk and Chara both blushed. "Y-yes," Frisk breathed.

Toriel stared at them dumbfounded, and then she relaxed, as if realizing something. "Oh!" She laughed. "Ah, Frisk. You really are an 'interesting' young man!"

_... she thinks it's a joke..._

She was still laughing. "All right, you two! Have fun on your 'date!'"

_She thinks it's a joke!_

Frisk was about to speak up and stress that he was serious... this time, but Chara interrupted him and said, "Yes, Mother! We will!"

"Oh, all right," Asriel said. "I'll let you two have your fun.  _See you soon!_ "

Frisk couldn't leave before making it clear. "But, Toriel! This is -"

Chara grabbed his arm and yanked him away. "Let's get going, Frisk! We don't want to be late!"

"But -"

"Let her think what she wants," Chara whispered.

"But..."

She dragged him outside into the late sunset, and she closed the door. "Don't worry, we'll tell her soon. I just... I just want you right now."

Frisk looked through her. "Chara... are you... worried she won't approve?"

She laughed bitterly. "Oh, of course not! What mother wouldn't want her demon child to go out dating?"

That was  _not_ okay. "Chara! She's your mother! She loves you!"

"Frisk..." Chara whispered. "I can tell; she's more upset with me than she lets on.  _Her son_ is an emotionless flower because of me. There is no forgiveness for that."

Frisk had enough. He grabbed Chara's shoulders. "Chara... stop it. I don't want to hear you say things like that anymore."

After a pause, Chara smiled. "Oh, I see how it is. Getting a little bossy now that we're dating? Should I be worried about how our relationship is going to be?"

Frisk smiled back. "Yeah, it's gonna be completely abusive. My goody-two-shoes act has fooled you perfectly! Now, you'll do what I say whether you like it or not!"

"Oh, no! You saved an entire race just to seduce me? How horrible! How could I have been so blind to fall for your insidious schemes?"

"Haha, well, if it makes you feel better, the whole underground bought it, so you're not the only one! You're  _all_ under my control!"

She gasped. "All you ever wanted was power? That's all we were to you? That's all  _I_ was to you? What a disgusting creature! How dare you! I trusted you! We  _all_  trusted you! If only I could see through your lies!"

"Yes, that's right! You were all just pawns in my little game! You were all fools to trust me! As Flowey would say, you're all naive idiots!" He laughed. "Okay, I can't keep this up anymore. I love you. You know that, right?"

Chara laughed, and she hugged him. "I'm sorry, Frisk. You're right. Tonight, let us cast our problems aside. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

Frisk hugged back. Chara's body was like a furnace. He couldn't get enough of her warmth. "Yeah, let's just enjoy each other."

Chara nodded. She took Frisk's hand, and they headed for the bus stop that would take them to the MTT Resort. Excitement bubbled up in Frisk's chest. Their first date was just about to -

"Hey, Frisk?"

"Yes, Chara?"

Chara smirked.

"...DATING START!"

* * *

Frisk and Chara got off the bus they had taken. The MTT Resort was just a short walk away. As they walked, Frisk took in the beautiful bright lights illuminating the night skyline of Surface Home... and he spotted an agent of the Military Police watching them from above. He had almost forgotten about them. He sighed. His life was never going to be normal, was it? Sans was right. He wasn't a normal kid. His red SOUL had destined him to be extraordinary, for better or worse.

Chara noticed Frisk looking at them. "Oh, don't worry about them!" she said. She affectionately held his arm. "If they want to look, let them! Let them watch as we say sickly sweet things to each other!"

His heart lightened. "Oh, you know there'll be plenty of that! I'm not going easy on the flirting just because we're dating!"

Chara grinned. "I'd expect nothing less from my dear Frisk!"

The MTT Resort wasn't much further. They arrived at their destination shortly. They went inside and were greeted by the resort's opulent atmosphere. The whole lobby was filled with people, both human and monster, happily chatting and going about their business. Frisk even noticed some other couples in the room whispering to each other. Over the speakers, an old jazz song, even older than Chara's time, was playing. The melody was calm and relaxing, and the lyrics... Well, Frisk personally found them deep and captivating, but...

_You always hurt the one you love_  
_The one you shouldn't hurt at all_  
_You always take the sweetest rose  
_ _And crush it 'till the petals fall_

Probably not what Chara wanted to hear...

In the center of a lobby was a fountain, quite a bit different from the one in the old MTT Resort back underground. Along the rim of the fountain were statues of the six humans who fell into the underground between Chara and Frisk, and in the center was an arrangement of statues based on a photo of Frisk, Toriel, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne. One might have thought that Mettaton may have actually lost some of his narcissism, if it weren't for the giant Mettaton statue standing behind the others as if he were some kind of god watching over them. Well, it was certainly an improvement.

Chara walked up to the fountain and excitedly pointed at the statue of Frisk. "It's you!"

Frisk smiled. "Yeah, I can see that."

They read the fountain's inscription.

_To all the heroes who granted us freedom._

_-212X_

"One hundred years..." Chara said, melancholy in her voice. "Over one hundred years since Asriel and I died, and another one hundred years the monsters were forced to suffer. It may not seem like much compared to the two thousand years they had been trapped already, but every year grew harder than the last. I hate to think what might have happened if they had been imprisoned any longer."

When the humans witnessed Asriel during the end of 201X, the old legends surrounding Mount Ebott and the war with monsters sprung back to life. Over the next five decades, several adventurers explored the mountain, and six of them never returned. In the decade 207X, President Elizabeth Malcom, with the support of her husband, Senator Booker Malcom, ordered a quarantine of Mount Ebott to prevent the monsters from getting more human SOULs. Citizens and politicians of the Human Government argued fervently over what to do about the imprisoned species. Some insisted they were entitled to the same rights humans were, while others argued they were far too dangerous to be released. The deadlock had shown no signs of being resolved anytime soon.

But of course, in the beginning of 212X, Frisk breached the Government blockade and helped Asriel finally destroy the barrier that had trapped the monsters since Decade X. After meeting the monsters, humanity's opinion of them shifted favorably. Monsters and humans saw Frisk as a hero. Monsters integrated with human society peacefully, but recent events were straining this peace.

"Well, they're free now," Frisk said.

Chara looked away. "Yeah, thanks to you, and Asriel."

Frisk gently held her chin up. "Hey, you helped too, Chara."

She smiled. "Right, no depressing stuff tonight. I promise!"

_And crush it 'till the petals fall_

Chara sighed.

They still had a few minutes until their table was ready, which gave them time to talk before they stuffed their faces with food. Frisk knew that dinner wasn't always the best choice for a first date; it could go horribly wrong if the pair turned out to be a bad match. But in their case, Frisk and Chara already knew each other extremely well. It may have technically been their first official date, but it was certainly more advanced and intimate than a 'let's get to know each other' date.

"So... how have you been doing?" Frisk asked her.

"Okay," Chara answered. "All things considered."

"I heard you saw Undyne a couple days ago. You two getting along?"

Chara laughed. "Ah, yes. That was fun."

"There's never a dull moment with her! What did you do?"

"Oh..." She got a little nervous. "We... uh... we... sparred."

Frisk blinked. "Sparred? With Undyne? She casually suplexes  _boulders_! Are you okay?"

She smiled. "Yeah, she went a little easy on me. But, more importantly, I wanted her to teach me something."

"Hmm?" Teach you what?"

"I asked her to teach me how to use magic."

"Ah, that sounds cool!" Frisk exclaimed. "How's that going?"

"Well... let's just say it involved Undyne shouting a lot... and not a lot of magic being done, except by Undyne... who may have broken a few things..."

Frisk laughed. "Well, mage or not, you're magical to me!"

"Oh God, Frisk. Now that one was just cheesy, and that's coming from someone who loves puns."

"Aw, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I think we both know I can do better."

"Just don't compliment my eyes again. You've done that one to death."

"But they're so beautiful! Every time I look at them, I feel like I'm going to melt!"

"Ouch, that's a lot of determination! I hope you don't turn into an amalgamate!"

He smiled warmly. "Chara, you fill me with determination."

"That's my line!"

He laughed. "...So, what made you want to learn magic?"

"Oh, uh..." Chara frowned. "...When Nora threatened you, I felt so powerless. At any moment, she could have made you choke on your own blood, and there was nothing I could've done about it. I know you could have reset, but even so, I want to protect you. I can't stand seeing you get hurt."

"...I  _was_  scared," Frisk admitted. "I was tempted to reset. All I could think was that I wanted to wake up back home." He caressed her cheek. "Safe with you."

Chara blushed. "Frisk, I... I never want to hurt you."

_Crush it, 'till the petals fall_

Frisk smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I know things are not always going to be easy for us, but you're worth it, Chara."

She blushed harder. "...Th-thank you, Frisk."

_So if I broke your heart last night  
_ _It's because I love you most of all!_

Frisk looked around. As he suspected, they had attracted quite a bit of attention. Phones were out... Pictures were being taken... Frisk didn't care. Fame was something he had learned to live with.

A random human girl approached them. "Frisk, I'm sure this crazy, but you two look like you're on a date or something!"

Frisk glanced at Chara for permission. She nodded. They didn't mean to flaunt it, but since they asked...

"We are!" Frisk answered with a smile.

"Wh-what?! But..."

_Yeah, I know. 'How could I date a demon?' Right?_

"But  _I_  wanted to date you!" the girl, who Frisk  _totally_  had never flirted with, pouted.

_...Oh..._

A human boy, who Frisk may or may not have called cute, overhead them. "What?! Frisk is dating someone? Damn it! When I saw him here I thought I finally had my chance..."

Tsunderplane flew in. "Hey! Don't be jealous! I'm totally not jealous or anything!"

Napstablook floated in. "I know I said I'd just weigh you down... but I really thought we had a connection when you flirted with me... Oh, well. It's okay. It's not hard to find someone better than me."

A moldsmal slithered by and gave Frisk a disappointed wiggle.

Chara smirked and whispered to him, "You feel your sins crawling on your back."

Who was she kidding? He felt no shame for this! Well... maybe a little for Napstablook. Poor Blooky... If they weren't a ghost, he'd give them a hug.

A girl glared at Chara. "What have you done to him, you demon?"

_Ah, there it is._ Frisk paid it no mind, and neither did Chara.

Over the growing mass of broken hearts, someone in the background caught Frisk's eye. Two humans were heatedly arguing over something involving monsters. One of them was a young man wearing glasses over his purple eyes. The other one looked familiar, a young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes.

_No way, is that..._

Frisk walked towards his old friend, one of the few he had before climbing Mount Ebott.

"Yes," the stranger said in the middle of their conversation. "That's my point exactly. Endogeny is insane."

"Then you must understand why they can't be held..." He turned around. "Frisk?"

"Lucas?"

Lucas grinned, and he pounded fists with Frisk. "Long time no see! Did you forget about me now that you're famous?"

Frisk laughed. It was so great to see him again! "No, of course not! It's just... been a busy year."

"I hear that," Lucas replied. "Moving in an entire foreign race is a logistical nightmare."

"Yeah, it is. You sound like you know a lot about that."

"Yes, I'm majoring in the new human-monster affairs program. When I heard about what you had done, I was so inspired to see the kid I knew from my boarding school accomplish so much!"

Frisk beamed. "I'm glad to hear-"

The stranger scoffed. "Hmph, this kid has doomed us all."

Chara scowled at the stranger.

"Jeff," Lucas said. "We don't have to be so afraid of monsters. They-"

"Endogeny has proven you wrong!" Jeff yelled. "In the last war, we were able to crush the monsters, but with abominations like Endogeny running around, we wouldn't stand a chance! With enough DT, any monster can become practically invincible! Unless we do something, Earth is bound to be ruled by monsters! We need to-"

"Attack them first?" Chara spitefully asked. "Go ahead! See what happens! You said it yourself! You wouldn't stand a chance! If you humans start another war, it will only be a matter of time until a monster gets enough souls to erase every last one of you from this world!"

"...She  _is_  the Demon," Jeff declared. "'The Demon. The one who has seen the underground. They will return, and everything will end.' At first, I thought it might be Frisk, but now I see! It's  _her_!"

The Prophecy of the Demon, a fairy tale made up to keep humans away from Mount Ebott.

"She has a point!" Frisk exclaimed. "A war would bring countless deaths on both sides. Why waste so many lives for nothing? We don't need a war!"

"And what proof do you have?" Jeff challenged. "How can you make sure that monsters will never use human souls for destruction? I'm listening!"

Frisk pursed his lips. "I can't. We just have to trust them."

"Yeah..." Jeff said. "In your world, everything will be fine as long as you treat everyone nice, right?"

"N-no..."

Jeff sighed. "All I'm saying is, things were a lot simpler before the monsters showed up." He walked away. "I'm out of here. See you later, Lucas."

Lucas nervously waved goodbye.

"Good riddance," Chara snarled.

"I swear he's not always so nasty," Lucas insisted. "He just gets really worked up about the monsters. I think he's just scared, you know? Lots of people are getting worried about them."

"Honestly, I can't blame them," Frisk said. "The monsters' power really is dangerous. I'm not sure if there  _is_  a way to counter it, other than hope it never happens."

"...You know," Lucas said. "In my studies, there's something I found interesting. As I'm sure you know, monsters come in a lot of different types. Skeletons... spiders... goats... dogs... and yet, they all identify as a 'monster.' If a dog and a sentient airplane can see themselves as the same race, then why not a human and a dog?"

"Well," Frisk said, "There  _is_ a critical difference. Monsters are all made mostly out of magic, while humans are entirely physical, and of course, there's the way our SOULs work."

"Then, can't we just be a special type of monster?" Lucas asked. "Why can't humans just be monsters that are physical instead of magical? Is it really that big a difference compared to everything else?"

Frisk thought about it. "Huh... I guess that makes sense. Yes, why do we have to think of ourselves as 'humans and monsters?' Why can't we just be the 'people of Earth?'"

"Even if that is possible," Chara said. "It would take years, perhaps generations, for the masses to perceive race in such a way, and no matter how our perceptions of race change, the danger of soul absorption will not."

Lucas smiled at her. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Here I am, talking hardcore sociology, and I haven't even introduced myself. So, you're Chara, right?"

Chara grew nervous. "Th-that is correct. I am Chara."

He held out his hand. "Hi, Chara! I'm Lucas!"

Chara shook his hand. "Greetings, Lucas. I am... pleased to make your acquaintance."

Lucas laughed. "Well, she's a lot more polite with me than with Jeff."

Frisk smiled. "She can be slow to trust strangers."

Chara bowed. "My apologizes," she said. "I will be honest. I do not think highly of humanity. However... I am trying to be convinced otherwise."

"Don't worry!" Lucas told her. "I won't bite! Frisk and I are old pals!"

Chara nodded. "Yes. Frisk has spoken of you before. You were friends in his old boarding school."

"That's right!" He looked at Frisk. "So, what brings you here?"

Frisk grinned and pulled Chara close to him. "We're on a date!"

"Wait, like, a real date?"

"Yes, like a real date!"

Lucas looked shocked. "Wow... Frisk is actually dating someone. I never thought I'd see the day. Chara, how did you pull this off? This dog's been barking up everyone's tree!"

Chara smirked. "Well, I guess I have a way of...  _getting in his head_."

Frisk tried not to smile. "Oh my God, Chara."

"As soon as we met, he  _fell_ for me! We were practically  _soulmates_!"

He failed. "Damn it, Chara!"

"If you say so," Lucas said, just going along with Chara's madness. "Heh, I still remember how Frisk's flirting started. One of his classmates wouldn't stop giving him hell for his red eyes. 'You think you're better than us?' he'd ask, even though Frisk had never said or done anything to deserve it... besides being born with a red SOUL. Frisk and I kept trying to calm him down, but he wouldn't have any of it. Then one day, when the kid came to pick on him yet again, Frisk winked at him and said, 'I see you can't get enough of my gorgeous red eyes. I'm so glad, because  _you_ are the apple of  _my_ eye.' The poor bastard just stared at him, jaw dropped, and he never bothered Frisk again."

Chara roared with laughter. "I can clearly see you doing that, Frisk!"

Frisk smirked. "He  _was_ kind of cute."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Frisk. Am I keeping you away from your true love?"

Frisk pinched her cheek. "Of course not. You're  _way_ cuter, and not to mention, you know, a much better person."

"Yeah..." Lucas said. "I can't believe the nerve of that guy. Didn't he know why you were sent to that school?"

"He did," Frisk answered. "He just didn't care, but that's fine. I don't like to mope about it."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Well, I won't keep you lovebirds from your date. See you around, Frisk, and it was nice meeting you, Chara."

"Y-yes," Chara replied. "It was nice meeting you, too."

Lucas left them to their date.

"Do you mean it, Chara?" Frisk asked. "It was nice to meet another human?"

"Yeah," Chara said. "He seems nice. He's smart, he likes monsters, and he's quite handsome as well!" She smirked. "So, you think I have a chance with him?"

Frisk playfully pushed her. "Chara! It's our first date, and you're already thinking about seeing other people?"

Chara giggled. "Yes, Frisk! I'm going to date every human that turns out to not suck!"

"Aww, is that all I am to you? A human that doesn't suck?"

Chara pulled him close and embraced him in another warm hug. "Of course not. You're  _much_  more than that. You'll always be special to me, Frisk."

Frisk felt his heart swell. "You're special to me too, Chara," he warmly replied.

Chara grabbed his hand. "Come on. I'm sure our table is ready by now."

He had almost lost track of time. "Ah, yes!"

They headed inside the restaurant.

* * *

**Lyric Credits:**

**"You Always Hurt the One You Love"**

**Artist: The Mills Brothers**

**I heard this song while playing** _**Bioshock** _ **and just had to use it. :)**


	16. Favorite Person

The new MTT Restaurant was quite a bit larger than the one back underground. The expanded space accommodated its new human patrons, and in the front of the restaurant was a large stage for Mettaton and others to give performances. Mettaton had spared no expense on it.

Frisk and Chara were seated at their table. As he'd requested, there were already two hot cups of golden flower tea on it, and the table was decorated with a candle and a golden golden flower in an elegant glass pot. How romantic! When the waitress came to take their order, they decided to share a steak. Back in the underground, monsters didn't have enough animals to serve actual meat, but here on the surface, the Steak in the Shape of Mettaton's Face was made with real beef, much to Chara's delight.

Their waitress, a cow monster, sighed. "How would you like that cooked?"

"RARE!" Chara screamed. She blushed. "U-uh... I mean, if that's okay with you, Frisk."

Frisk smiled. "Rare is good."

The waitress left to put in their order. Chara smiled back at Frisk. "So, here we are."

"Yeah..." Frisk replied. He took a sip of his tea. It was a bit hot, but it was good. Chara sipped her tea as well. "How is it?" Frisk asked.

Chara put her cup down. "It's great."

Frisk knew a lot about Chara, but there were still a few things about her he'd never found out. "Hey, Chara, why do you like golden flowers so much?"

"Hmm... I don't really know, actually," she answered. "I always liked plants, and I'd often help Father out in the garden. I loved that garden, but without the golden flowers, I felt like something was missing. I cannot say why, but for some reason, I really did miss the golden flowers from my village. They were pretty much the only good thing from that hellhole."

Frisk took another sip of his tea. "Was it really that bad?"

"...Perhaps I'm not being fair," Chara admitted. "It probably wasn't so bad, provided you had the right family, but my parents... I don't think they could have loved anything that was not in a bottle and full of alcohol."

"...I'm sorry."

Chara shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I already broke my promise, didn't I? Besides, at least they didn't outright abandon me like your father... Sorry..."

Frisk shrugged. "There was nothing I could do, so why be morose about it?"

"Heh, sounds like some of my former philosophy rubbed off on you." She stared at him with so much fondness in her eyes. "How could anyone let go of you so easily? I wonder how he feels about his choice now."

"He's either relived, or he's cursing himself. I don't really know, and I can't say I care." It may have seemed unusually cold for him, but Frisk honestly didn't care about his father anymore. He made his choice. He abandoned him because he was afraid of his red SOUL. Frisk did understand his grief for Mother, but that was no excuse to cast him aside.

Chara sipped her tea. "Well, enough about that. So... yeah. Those flowers were my only source of comfort back then, so that's why I love them so much."

Frisk smiled and picked up the golden flower on the table. He gave it to Chara. "Here, your favorite flower, for my favorite person."

Frisk could have sworn he heard something that sounded like... a groan, but it hadn't come from Chara. It must have been some creep watching them, but it sounded... close. Weird.

Chara smiled and blushed. "Really? I'm your favorite person?"

"Yes, is that surprising?"

"Very. It's  _very_  surprising, but… thank you." She stroked the flower's petals. "It looks just like my brother..." Her smile turned into a frown.

Frisk frowned too. "I know. We'll help him too, somehow."

"I hope so," she said. "It's not fair. He deserves a soul much more than I do. That said…" she smiled again. "I'm so glad I have a soul again. It's being put to good use!"

Frisk smiled back. "Yeah, you can finally love people like Toriel, Asgore, Asriel, Undyne..."

She put the flower back in the pot. "I think you're forgetting someone."

"Ah, that's right! How could I forget Alphys?"

"Surely, there must be someone else."

"Sans and Papyrus?"

"Keep going..."

"Wait, I've got it. You want to be best friends with Nora!"

"Maybe I should just look at what's right in front of me..."

As Frisk tried to think of a witty comeback, Chara stood up and leaned close to him, real close. "Chara?"

She kissed him on the cheek.

"Chara..."

Chara quickly sat back in her chair, extremely flustered. "S-s-sorry, Frisk! I couldn't help myself!"

Frisk's heart pounded, but he was filled with joy. "Why are you apologizing? That was great!"

"It... it was?"

"Yes, I  _did_ say I wanted a bit more, remember?"

Chara squealed.

He wanted to return the favor... but not here. "In fact... I may need a repeat performance when we get back home..."

Chara smiled, but was still flustered. "V-very well, Frisk. I think I can oblige..."

Frisk was about to tell her how excited he was for that, when he heard something rumbling on the table. For no apparent reason, the flower pot on it was shaking. They both stared at the rather familiar golden flower. The shaking stopped.

"...Frisk," Chara whispered. "Why do I get the feeling that the potted plant is judging us for our sins?"

"But, why'd he...?"

The flower started to sweat... Chara tugged on one of its petals.

"Okay! Okay! You caught me!" Asriel revealed his face.

Frisk blinked. Asriel had done some horrible things to him as 'Flowey,' but stalking them on their date? That was just… Why?! "Asriel? What are you doing here?"

"Getting sick," he quipped. "You two are even worse than Mom and Dad were! I'm going to  _puke_!"

Chara folded her arms. "Serves you right," she said. "Those are the consequences for  _intruding_ on our  _date_."

"How did you even get here?" Frisk asked.

Asriel looked pleased with himself. "Well..."

* * *

"HEY!" Flowey shouted at the stupid box. "Which table is Frisk and Chara's?"

Mettaton laughed. "Why, Asriel, what could you possibly need to know that for? Are you trying to eavesdrop on their date?"

"Yes!"

He drew an exclamation mark on his face and gasped. "How scandalous! Is someone jealous?"

"What? No! I just need to make sure Frisk isn't doing anything weird to my sister!"

"Are you sure? Perhaps Chara is more to you than you realize..."

_Seriously?_ "No! Gross! I definitely do  _not_  have a romantic interest in my  _sister_! Unlike those two, I'm perfectly content with being siblings!"

"Oh, I get it!" Mettaton exclaimed. "You fancy  _Frisk!_  Can't say I blame you! He's a real favorite among us monsters! He's everyone's second favorite person, really!"

"NO! Although… I  _do_ like Frisk better. He's a much better friend than Chara to be honest!"

_Hee hee hee... sorry Chara,_ Flowey thought to himself.  _But it's true. Frisk is better than you. Asriel made that perfectly clear. Frisk is the friend he always wanted! Th-though, I did say that I wish you and Frisk were both my friends, and I think I meant it. It's just... things really would have been better if it were Frisk instead of you... B-but I don't hate you! I know that Asriel never stopped caring about you, but… if I had to choose... AGH! Emotions are confusing without a SOUL!_

"Oh, my..." Mettaton purred. "Well, this is probably not good business practice, and quite possibly illegal, but I just can't resist the drama! All right!" He pointed at a table. "It's that one!"

Flowey snapped out of his useless thoughts. "Great! Oh, and, Mettaton... don't tell Chara what I said about... Frisk being better, okay?"

"Don't worry! My speakers are muted! Good luck, jealous one!"

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

* * *

Asriel explained how he got Mettaton to help him spy on them.

Chara sighed. "Damn it, Mettaton."

Frisk stared at Asriel. He still hadn't explained  _why_ he followed them. "Are you  _sure_ you're not jealous?"

"No, I'm not!" Asriel yelled unconvincingly. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Are you  _sure_?" Chara asked him.

"YES, I'M SURE!"

"Then why are you here? You're not actually concerned Frisk would do anything 'weird' to me, are you?"

Asriel looked nervous. "I... I guess not. I just... I just wanted to come, okay?! I was curious! It's the same reason I do anything! I just HAD to know! I had to know how this date of yours was going... Big mistake!"

Even though he  _had_ rudely spied on them, Frisk felt sorry for him."Would you have been lonely at home without us?" he asked.

"N-no... How could I be lonely? I don't have emotions!"

"Asriel, we both know that's not how it works. You were lonely when you woke up without Chara, and I bet you were  _very_  lonely after you destroyed the barrier."

He frowned. "Okay... I am jealous, BUT NOT LIKE THAT!"

_Huh?_

"What do you mean?" Chara asked him.

A... tear formed in Asriel's eye? "It's just... seeing you two so happy together... I... I..."

Frisk felt an itch in his throat. "A-Asriel..."

A tear sparkled in Chara's eye as well. "You're jealous of our love itself."

Asriel nodded. "I just want to love someone. I want to love you. I want to love Frisk. B-but… I can't..."

Chara picked Asriel up and stroked his petals again. "It'll be okay, Asriel."

Asriel sniffled. "I'm sorry for ruining your date."

"You didn't," Frisk assured him. "It's okay. I know what you're going through."

Chara nodded. "I know exactly what it's like. Frisk is the only thing that kept me going when I was soulless, but even then… I couldn't  _really_ care about him, and I hated myself for it."

"Y-yeah," Asriel said.

"Heh, look at you, crybaby," Chara teased. "Even without a soul, you're still whining? There's no stopping you!"

Asriel laughed. "I know; I'm so hopeless... But I could always count on your strength, Chara."

Chara looked at him wistfully. "You were the strong one, Asriel."

"Sister…"

Their food arrived… and it was delivered by Mettaton himself, configured in his standard box form. "Hello, darlings! I see the prince couldn't maintain his cover!"

"Yeah…" Frisk said, giving Mettaton an accusing stare. Chara gave him one of those creepy – but cute! – smiles of hers.

Mettaton laughed shamelessly. "What? Wasn't this a thrilling twist of events?"

"Just give us our steak," Chara ordered.

"Oh, eager, are we? Very well!" Mettaton put the steak on their table. "Here you are! Freshly imprinted with my glorious face!"

Frisk thought Chara was going to drool as she looked at it. "Oooooh, Frisk... It looks so good..."

"Yes, it does," Frisk agreed.

"Don't forget the knives," Chara reminded Mettaton.

"Patience, Chara! My! Your SOUL color is certainly not light blue!" Mettaton gave them their forks and knives. "Enjoy! And keep an eye on the stage…!" Mettaton rolled away.

"Well," Frisk said. "He looks excited about something." He looked at Chara and smiled. "And so do you."

Chara had already cut into the steak. She took a bite. "Frisk!" she yelled with a full mouth. "It's perfect! Try it!" She forked another piece and thrust it at him.

"Oh, come on," Asriel groaned. "You're  _feeding_  him? That's so… ugh…"

Frisk ignored Asriel's ridicule and bit the steak off Chara's fork. It was quite good. Although, Frisk would've preferred it to be a bit more cooked, at least a nice medium-rare, warm red center instead of pure rare, but Chara seemed to love it, and that made Frisk happy.

Chara could tell what he was thinking. "You'd like it cooked more, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah," Frisk admitted. "But this is good too."

"Well, we can have it cooked however you want it next time!"

Frisk smiled. "Thanks, Chara."

Chara looked at Asriel. "I wish you could try this, Brother."

"Hey, don't mind me," he said. "I'll just go back to being a regular flower now, and I'll try not to spew out magical flower vomit. Trust me, that's not something you want to see." Asriel made his face disappear.

"Poor Asriel," Frisk said, even though he knew he was still listening.

"Yeah..." Chara said ruefully.

"…Hey, tomorrow, we'll check in with Alphys. Maybe she's got a lead by now."

Chara took a deep breath. "You're so hopeful, Frisk." She smiled. "All right. I won't lose hope, either."

They continued eating their steak. As they did, the lights dimmed, and a spotlight shined on the restaurant's stage.

"Beauties and gentlebeauties!" Mettaton announced. "I, Mettaton, am honored to host a special word from the King of Monsters, Asgore Dreemurr!"

Asgore walked onto the stage. Every monster in the room fell silent, and even the humans were awed by the presence of a king.

"Dad…?" Chara whispered. "Th-this isn't what I expected."

Yeah, Frisk was expecting something glorifying Mettaton, not… whatever this was.

Asgore cleared his throat. "Howdy!" he greeted. "So… it has been quite the week, has it not?"

The room murmured in agreement.

Asgore solemnly nodded. "Humans… I am deeply sorry for the accident that almost occurred. I owe my son Frisk an incredible debt. He's the one who stopped me from going to war, and he has helped prevent war once again."

Frisk wondered if  _he_ was being glorified too much. He was glad to have inspired them, but they had to keep in mind that he was just one person. He knew that his time powers gave him the ability to  _play_  God, but that didn't mean he  _was_  God. He couldn't be the  _only_ reason why they trusted humanity. Chara kind of had that problem too; they had to find other reasons to trust humans.

"I hope you can believe me when I say that we monsters do not take such matters lightly. We know you fear our ability to absorb your souls. It may not be enough to convince you, but we loathe this horrible power ourselves.

"…However, as you all know, I once conspired to use this power. After my son Asriel… turned to dust, I vowed to kill every human that fell underground, use their power to destroy the barrier, and… take the surface back from humanity. I never wanted power. I just wanted my people to have hope. I wish I could say there was no other way, but… I do not know if that's true. I promised to wield the power we all hated, and to become the reason why humans drove us underground. I was wrong to even suggest that. I hope that no monster ever acquires seven human souls. That… is something that should never have to be done."

Little did he know that Asriel had already done it. Well, the equivalent anyway, which only made it worse…

Frisk heard Chara's breathing grow heavy. "S-stupid," she muttered. "I'm so stupid."

He reached out and held her hand. "No, you're not."

"F-Frisk…"

"And…" Asgore continued. "As we have all recently found out, someone else conspired to wield this power before me, and she almost succeeded."

Chara gasped.

"My own daughter, Chara."

What? Why was he calling her out?

A painful expression was on Asgore's face. "When I first learned of it, I was… deeply disturbed. I took Chara into my family, and because of her actions… my son… Well, he's a flower now."

"F-Father," Chara sobbed to herself. "I… I'm…"

_Asgore, what are you…?_

"…However," Asgore said. "I cannot bring myself to hate her. She may not have believed it herself, but Chara was the first one to make me believe that humans and monsters could have a future. Her friendship with Asriel, and the look of hope in her eyes, filled me with hope. Even after what happened to my son, I must still thank her for that."

Chara wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh… Dad…"

"And," Asgore said. "That was long ago. Chara has changed, and so has humanity. While many of you still fear us, many of you also look back on the war with disgust. At the very least, you made sure not to forget what happened to my son. As for my fellow monsters, please do not give in to despair. Forget everything I said all those years ago about my plan to 'take the surface back.' I am confident that we have all learned from our history, and I still believe that we have a future. Not as humans and monsters, but as… people."

Yes, that was it, wasn't it? They just had to believe humanity had learned, that they wouldn't make the same mistakes a second time.

Sans joined Asgore on the stage. "So, what our king is trying to say is: Don't steal human souls. Capiche?"

Everyone laughed at the needed break in tension.

Asgore smiled. "Yes, do not do that. If  _any of you_  have such thoughts in your head… stop it."

'Any of you' meaning Boaris…

"Humans, I know it has not been easy, but thank you for allowing us to live among you." Asgore bowed and left the stage. His departure was followed by applause from all around the room, from both humans and monsters.

"…Wow," Chara breathed. "Asgore's amazing."

"Yeah," Frisk agreed. "Asriel, aren't you proud of…"

The pot was empty.

* * *

He couldn't take it anymore.

He was so tired of it. He was so tired of being a flower. He was so tired of being surrounded by all these emotions, and not being able to share them. He was so tired of not being able to care about Frisk. He was so tired of not being able to care about Chara. No more. No more! Flowey was done being Flowey! It was time to stop whining and do something about it! He was going to be strong, like Chara!

Sometime before he met Frisk, Flowey had tried something to cure himself. He'd absorbed Toriel's soul. It didn't work. He had the soul, but without seven human soul's worth of DT, he couldn't bind his essence to it. It still belonged to Toriel. If he'd just had enough DT, he could've truly stolen it from her, but here on the surface, humans had plenty of the stuff. Here on the surface, he could steal a boss monster's soul and become Asriel again.

Now, killing Toriel or Asgore wasn't an option. Frisk and Chara would never allow it, and Asriel would never forgive him for it. But fortunately, there was someone who didn't deserve his soul. a truly grotesque boss monster. Not only did this monster want to commit genocide against the human race, he also had the nerve to condemn Chara for it even though he wanted the  _same damn thing_. If there was anything that pissed Flowey off, it was hypocrisy.

Yes, he was going to do it. He was going to kill him.

He was going to kill Boaris.


	17. Then and Now

Frisk and Chara returned home, not quite as cheerful as they were hoping. Their date was wonderful, but Asriel… had never come back. They hoped they'd find him back home.

Toriel greeted them in the foyer. "Welcome back!" She giggled. "Did you enjoy your date?"

"Yes," Frisk answered, "but… is Asriel here?"

Toriel looked surprised. "He is not with you? He said he was going to follow you there. That was harmless, was it not? After all, it is not as if you two are serious about this. As if you are  _ever_  serious, Frisk!"

_Damn it, Toriel…_

"We  _did_ see him there," Chara explained, "but he suddenly disappeared."

Toriel shared their concern. "What? Where did he go?"

"We don't know," Frisk answered.

"W-well, Asriel can take care of himself," Toriel said to reassure them, and herself. "I am certain he will return before long."

"I hope so," Chara said.

"Y-yeah," Frisk agreed. "Asriel can take care of himself. He was probably just tired of watching us… you know. I'm sure he's just out exploring or something."

"He  _did_ enjoy such activities," Toriel reminisced. "He did not like feeling trapped in the castle all the time. Were it not for that, he may not have found Chara that fateful day…"

Chara grunted. Frisk knew what she was thinking. If Asriel hadn't been there, the Dreemurrs may never have adopted her, and Asriel never would have died.

Toriel smiled. "Well, cheer up you two! I am sure there is nothing to worry about. I know Asriel would not want to keep us worried about him. We shall see him soon, as he likes to say." She suddenly realized something. "Oh! Actually, have you tried calling him? He has a cellphone, does he not?"

"Ah, that's right!" Frisk exclaimed. While he was exploring Alphys's true laboratory, Asriel had called him. He even saved his number as 'Creepy Guy.' He… probably needed to change that.

Frisk renamed the contact to… 'Asriel,' and he called it.

"Oh, howdy, Frisk!"

"Asriel! Where are-"

Chara snatched the phone out of his hand. " _Brother_! Are you okay? Where are you?"

Asriel laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me!"

"Don't worry?! You had me worried sick! Why did you leave us like that?"

"I realized that I have better things to do! Besides, I thought you two wanted be alone!"

"W-well, you're not wrong, but… what are you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about it! I'll be home soon, okay?"

"Well, okay."

"See you soon!" Asriel hung up.

Chara looked worried. "I hope he's not lying."

"Ah, I am sure he will be fine," Toriel said. "Asriel said he will be back shortly; that is good to hear."

"I suppose so," Chara said. "Oh, Mother… there is something Frisk and I need to make clear." Her face reddened.

Frisk cast a worried glance at her. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Y-yes," Chara stuttered. "I… I need to do this." She held Frisk's hand and looked Toriel in the eyes. "Mother… Frisk and I… w-we… w-we're…"

Toriel titled her head to the side. "Yes…?"

Chara's whole face was red, but she was determined to tell her. "Th-the dating thing. Frisk and I are… serious about this…"

Toriel's eyes widened. "You are… serious?"

Frisk nodded. "Chara and I want to be... more than friends..."

Chara nodded. "Y-yeah, it's true."

"… goodness," Toriel said quietly. "That is… I can hardly…"

Chara's whole body was shaking. Even Frisk was getting nervous. "Toriel… are you okay with this?"

"W-well, Frisk, I know you do not view me as your actual mother, so I suppose it is not  _that_ weird."

Frisk grimaced. She hated it. She hated it. She thought they were disgusting, didn't she?

"No! It is all right!" Toriel exclaimed. "It is just...are you both certain this is what you want?"

"Yes," Frisk answered, "I know this is what I want." 

Chara nodded. "I am certain. He means so much to me, and I want us to grow even closer."

"In that case," Toriel said, "if this truly is what you both want, then... I am happy for you."

Relief washed over both Frisk and Chara. They beamed. Chara hugged her. "Thank you, Mom! I'll be good to Frisk! I promise!"

Frisk joined in. "Chara and I have been through so much together. Ever since we met, she's always been there for me, and I want to make her happy. I know she made some mistakes, but deep inside, she's a beautiful person, even if she doesn't always realize it."

"Oh, Frisk…" Chara said. "You're… you're too good for this world."

Toriel laughed. "I can see that the two of you care for each other dearly!"

"Yes," Chara said. "Mother, I won't hurt him. I swear it."

"Chara… I know you will not."

"Thank you, Mother."

Frisk yawned. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'm going to get ready for bed now."

"Of course," Toriel said. "Goodnight, Frisk."

"Goodnight."

"Umm, if you don't mind," Chara said, "I'd like to spend just a bit more time with you first."

How could Frisk refuse? "Oh, all right."

Frisk retired to his room, and Chara quietly followed him.

They went inside. Chara closed the door and smiled at him. "So, Frisk… you said you require a 'repeat performance,' did you not?"

Frisk grinned. "Oh, I see.. Well, don't keep me waiting…"

Chara approached him and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. She closed her eyes and gave him another warm kiss on the cheek. Frisk blushed and looked into her beautiful red eyes. His heart was racing. He wanted her to know exactly how he felt about her.

"Ch-Chara… may I… kiss you? I mean… like..." He touched her lips.

Chara looked a little surprised, but nodded. "Yes, Frisk. I'd… I'd love to kiss you…"

Frisk closed his eyes. He started with a simple kiss on her cheek… and then he pressed his lips against Chara's. Chara whimpered at their first contact. Worried, Frisk broke the kiss. "Are you okay?"

"S-sorry, Frisk," she apologized. "It's just… I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone."

She was so precious… Frisk smiled and held her cheek. "I love you, Chara."

Chara smiled back. "I love you too, Frisk."

She closed her eyes and leaned back in, and Frisk felt Chara's warm and soft lips against his. He held her tight and kissed back slowly. Soon, they both began to feel comfortable and melted into the kiss. Frisk was surprised how good it felt. He loved being so close with Chara. He loved the feeling of her warm arms and tender lips. Frisk could feel all of Chara's passion with every kiss she gave him, and he kissed back with all of his passion. It was intoxicating.

They kissed for a while longer before pulling apart. Chara breathed deeply and opened her eyes. "Frisk," she whispered. "I… I can't believe we just made out!"

Frisk laughed. "Yeah… that was great, Chara."

She blushed. "Yes, it was. It was amazing."

He yawned. "Well, I'm really tired now. See you tomorrow." He took his shoes off and collapsed on the couch.

Chara smiled at him. "Oh, come on, Frisk! Use your bed for once!"

"Nope, I've grown quite attached to this couch."

"You're too nice, Frisk!"

"Don't you like my bed?"

"Yes, it's nice, but…" she smirked. "It'd be a lot nicer with you there…"

Frisk laughed. "Okay, even for me, that's a bit too... frisky for now." He winked. Though, he had to admit, the thought of falling asleep in Chara's loving arms  _did_ sound nice…

"Aww, come on, Frisk. I don't see a problem with it. I just wanna cuddle, that's all."

"Nah, I don't think our relationship has progressed far enough for that."

"Nonsense! We must seize the day while we're still young!  _Capre diem_!"

"We're fourteen!"

"Well," Chara said, "I'm actually fifteen if you count the year I spent in your head."

"Ah, yes. You were older than me at first, but I passed you!"

"Yes, you sure took your time. However, I'm over  _a hundred_  if you count time when I was dead!"

Frisk looked at her seriously. "Were you… awake back then?"

"… partially," she answered. "I do have memories of being in my coffin, and being moved to the Ruins, but time didn't flow normally for me. It didn't feel like I was there for anywhere near a hundred years. I wasn't fully awake until you fell on top of me."

"Oh… that's good, I guess. Heh, I'm so glad I fell into those flowers."

She smiled. "Yeah…"

"Well… goodnight, Chara."

"Night, Frisk… my love…"

He smiled, and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was another one of her parents' boring dinners with the Millers.

As usual, they were going on about how dangerous monsters were and some weird science stuff that had something to do with alternate realities or whatever. Well, when she put it that way, it sounded kind of cool, but those two scientists just droned on and on about every little detail. 'DT this, quantum entanglement that.' Felicia didn't understand how her parents had the patience to listen to all that.

At least the food was nice. Being the daughter of the President did have its perks. Their official home was staffed by some of the best chefs in the West. Her parents liked their meats, especially fish. The table was lined with steaks, tuna, mackerel, and an eastern fish called 'fugu.' For drinks, there were hot cups of golden flower tea and red wine for the adults.

With absolutely no interest in the adults' boring conversation, Felicia took out her phone and started reading one of her books about monsters. It was a collection of ancient legends once thought to be mere myth, but after murdering that innocent goat, everyone knew that at least some of the stories were true. Felicia choose a legend and started reading…

* * *

Long ago, when humans and monsters lived in peace, a human and a monster were in love. The two spent years together. They were everything to each other, but one day, the human grew old and began to die. The monster, however, did not age, for she was a boss monster. As the human laid on his deathbed, the monster vowed to take her own life to stay with him, but the human shook his head, and with his dying breath, told her to live on. The human perished. His red SOUL hovered above his body. Entranced by her lover's floating heart, the monster discovered her power to absorb human souls. She transformed into a horrible beast with incredible power. Both humans and monsters were shocked when they saw her. No one had ever heard of such a power.

With that power, a dark thought entered the monster's mind. She'd already become extraordinarily powerful with just one soul, but what if she got more? Perhaps if she absorbed more human souls, she'd have the power to bring her lover back to life! Driven mad by her power and grief, she killed five more humans with her deadly axe. She felt her power increase dramatically as she absorbed each soul. With just one more, she thought, she'd have the power to save the human.

But then, from within their combined soul, the human called out to the monster. He pleaded with her to stop. He told her that he wasn't worth the innocent lives she had taken. He told her that he loved her, but it was time for him to go. The monster wouldn't listen. She had to have him back! It wasn't fair! Why was she granted eternal life when he was doomed to his mortal fate? To hell with fate! She was going to make her own fate! She was filled with determination! She and the human would be together forever!

The human told her that he wasn't going to let her become a monster. His soul grew heavy, but working with the other five souls, he took control of his lover's body. He gripped his lover's axe and plunged it deep into her chest. As her body turned to dust, the monster got what she wished for, to die with the human she loved.

And so, the world learned the terrible power of the SOUL.

* * *

Nate leaned over Felicia's shoulder. "Ooh, what'cha reading?" Nate inquired.

"O-oh, j-just… some old legends…" she answered.

"Does it have swords in it?" Nora asked.

"W-well… there's an axe in it."

"Eeh, that's  _okay_ , I guess."

Nate skimmed the text and laughed. "You and your monsters!"

Felicia sniffled. "Y-yeah…"

Nate looked serious for once. "Hey, are you okay?"

He didn't understand. "Nate, you don't understand. The feels, Nate. The feels…"

He smiled. "Oh, you're saying that book is sad or something."

Felicia gigged and shook his shoulders. "You can't possibly understand the  _feels_!"

Nate laughed. "All right! All right! I get it!"

Jacob laughed with them, and even Nora smiled. It was hard to get a smile out of Nora, but when she did, it lit up the whole room.

"Children…" Father called out. "Please try not to shout."

"Right, sorry Father," Felicia apologized.

"Oh, right!" Nate exclaimed. "We're sorry for having fun, Mr. Malcom!" he sardonically said, earning punitive stares from his own parents. Nate laughed shamelessly.

Father sighed and returned his attention to the Millers. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

Nate's father, John Miller, nodded. "Basically, we've detected some kind of anomaly, for lack of a better word, in the timespace continuum."

"At first, it appears to be a highly active World Master," Nate's mother, Eva Miller, added. "At a certain point, all timelines experience a massive spike in SAVE and RESET activity. They shift, start, and stop at a rapid pace. Judging by particular trends, we've estimated that our timeline will reach this spike in just thirty years."

"But that's not the worst part," John said. His tone was grave. "Some of these timelines… do more than just jump around. They do more than just… stop. These timelines do not RESET. In these timelines…"

"…Everything ends," Eva finished.

Mother's blue eyes widened. "So, what you're saying is… in three decades… our entire world may be destroyed."

John and Eva nodded. Their light blue eyes were filled with dread.

"It's just an estimate," John said.

"But very possible," Eva affirmed.

Okay… Felicia was now interested in their boring discussion. Jacob, Nate, and Nora were listening as well.

"Hmm…" Father's orange eyes stared into deep space. "It's… just like the Prophecy. The Prophecy of the Demon."

"Oh, come now," Nora interjected. "You're seriously bringing up that fairy tale? Don't get me wrong. Despite what Felicia thinks, no human should go anywhere near Mount Ebott, but let's be honest, that 'prophecy' is just to scare us away from the underground."

"Perhaps…" John admitted.

"But it  _is_ disturbingly similar," Eva said.

John stared at Felicia. "Thirty years… Within that timeframe, Felicia could very well still be the World Master…"

Mother gritted her teeth. "Do  _not_  say that about my daughter."

… _Thank you, Mother._  She and her parents didn't always see eye-to-eye, but Felicia knew that they still loved her.

"The Demon," Eva recited. "The one who has seen the underground. They will return, and everything will end. In other words, any human who finds the monsters may bring destruction. You don't need a psychic  _or_ a scientist to make that prediction."

"Did I not make it clear?" Mother growled. "Felicia is not a demon."

"And we're not saying that," John said. "However, she has some  _very_  dangerous ideas in her head."

Mother sighed. "You're not wrong."

"…Umm," Jacob cut in. "I don't really know if the monsters are good or bad people, but I  _do_ know my sister is a good person."

"Aw!" Nate exclaimed. "You're a good brother, Jacob!"

Jacob laughed. "Thanks."

"It's not about whether she's a good person," Father said. "It's about a simple, indisputable fact: The monsters are dangerous." He stared at Felicia intensely. "Felicia… say whatever you want about how wrong we are, say whatever you want about how cruel we are, but promise me… you won't go anywhere near that mountain."

Felicia looked her father in the eyes. "I can't make that promise."

Like just about every time monsters were brought up in this household, the whole room became awkward. Father just stared angrily, and Mother rested her head on the table. Nora looked at Felicia like she insane, and Jacob nervously sipped his tea.

"…I hate this," Nate whispered to her.

"Yeah…" she whispered back. "I wish we could just be a happy family, but… I just can't agree with them. It doesn't matter what they say, these monsters deserve freedom."

Nate smiled. "Felicia… has anyone ever told you that you're an… interesting child?"

She smiled back. "Oh, yeah."

Jacob coughed, loudly.

"You okay, Brother?" Felicia asked.

"Y-yeah," he answered… only to cough even harder. He covered his mouth, and when he held out his hand… there was blood on it. A lot of blood.

"Oh my God!" Felicia screamed. "Jacob needs a doctor! NOW!"

Nate turned pale. "That… doesn't look good…"

Nora laughed it off. "Oh, Jacob's a big kid! He'll be fine!"

Mother held him. "Jacob? How long have you been sick?"

"I… I h-haven't…" Jacob vomited blood. It was all over him.

"O-oh…" Nora wasn't laughing anymore. "That… does look bad…"

Felicia held him along with Mother. "Brother! Hold on! We'll get help!"

Father whipped out his phone and dialed emergency services. "We need an ambulance! My son is gravely ill!"

John and Eva watched in silence with horrified expressions.

"Jacob!" Mother screeched. "You're going to be okay! Do you hear me?!"

"Yes, just now!" Father yelled over the phone. "He's throwing up blood everywhere!"

Jacob's body started… convulsing. No... He couldn't have been…

Jacob looked at her with dying eyes. "S-Sister…"

His SOUL shattered instantly. Felicia felt its red shards scatter across her body. His body went limp in her arms. Felicia let go and stared at her brother's blood on her hands.

Father dropped his phone, his mouth wide open in shock.

Mother shook her son's lifeless body, tears streaming down her face. "Jacob! JACOB!"

Felicia sobbed. How could he just die so suddenly? Why? Why did he have to die like that? It wasn't fair. He'd done nothing to deserve it. It was wrong. Nothing about it was right.

She heard Nate cry too. "Jacob…"

Nora comforted her brother. "Oh, Nate… please don't cry."

"Don't cry?! Jacob just  _died_ right in front of us!"

"It'll be okay. Felicia's the World Master, remember?"

_R-right…_

Yes, Felicia could save him. Jacob was just a simple RESET away from being alive again. But, how did he die? What kind of illness killed someone so suddenly?

Mother's tearful face dissolved into pure hatred. Her blue eyes glared at the Millers with rage. "This was no illness. This was POISON!" She shook her finger at them. "YOU killed him! And you tried to kill Felicia! You were so scared of my daughter that you decided to murder her, but you fucked it up and killed Jacob instead!"

"How?!" John challenged. "This is  _your_  home!"

"One of  _you_ killed your own child!" Eva accused.

"We would never-"

As the adults bickered furiously, Felicia looked at Nora. What if…?

Nora put her hands up. "Whoa, whoa! I know I like to give you a hard time, but  _murder_?! I… I wouldn't…"

Felicia frowned. "Sorry, Nora. You  _do_ give me a hard time, but I know you mean well."

"P-please, Felicia," Nate sobbed. "Go back. Stop this from happening."

"I don't know who did this," Nora said, "but whoever it is, you can stop them, Felicia. Don't let them get away with this."

Mother and Father were right. It had to be either John or Eva, or both. It couldn't have been  _her_ parents. They would  _never_ try to kill her. They loved her. They wouldn't… right?

But, if it was the Millers, what were they trying to accomplish, knowing Felicia could reset? What  _was_  the killer trying to accomplish? Who was it, really? Maybe it  _was_ Nora. Maybe she was lying to her. God, for all she knew,  _Nate_ was the killer.

Who killed him?! Who was lying? Who hated her so much that they wanted her dead?

She was going to go back. She was going to save Jacob, and find out for sure who killed him. Whoever it was, they were going to regret the nonexistent day they pissed off a World Master.

Felicia reset.

* * *

Flowey infiltrated Boaris's home. The monster was in his study, typing on his upscaled computer keyboard. Flowey crawled on top of a bookshelf and quietly observed him.

Flowey wasn't an idiot. He knew that if he just flat-out murdered him, he'd be arrested for it. Ha! Arrested! For killing  _him_! If he got caught, perhaps he could worm his way out of it on insanity, like Endogeny. After all, he was definitely very insane. Indeed, he wasn't even Asriel. He was Flowey. Asriel couldn't be convicted for a crime Flowey had committed, right?

Although, even if he didn't get sentenced, there was no doubt that Malcom, that bastard, would try to spin it as yet another reason why monsters couldn't be trusted. 'Look at this soulless creature!' he'd cry. 'He's so devoid of empathy that he killed one of his own kind! How long do you think it'll be until another one is created by someone like that insane Doctor Alphys?' Flowey  _hated_ that guy. For people like him, the world really was kill or be killed.

It was best not to get caught. Ideally, Flowey would make Boaris's death look like an accident. He'd done that on more than one occasion back underground. Flowey's dark mind giggled with glee as he thought of all the glorious ways Boaris could meet his end. Maybe he'd unfortunately fall off a bridge. Golly! They really should have reinforced those safety rails! Or, maybe someone would crash into his car. Gosh! Didn't they see the red light? What? It was green? How strange!

As for why Flowey just happened to turn into Asriel right after… Well, Flowey supposed he'd have to endure just a bit longer. As long as he waited a bit, Alphys could make up some crazy science stuff that no one understands anyway about how she created an artificial SOUL or something. That gave her plenty of time to order the DT needed, if she didn't have it already.

In any case, there was no need to rush. For now, Flowey just needed to observe and wait for his opportunity. He was going to learn every little habit this miserable creature had. Flowey never took much of an interest to him back underground. He was just 'Boring Boaris.' He'd killed him before, but it was never satisfying. Boaris always just sort of… accepted it. Flowey could never get him to scream, or beg, or call for help, or  _anything_ fun! He always just closed his eyes and embraced death. Even while dying, he was such a stick in the mud!

But that didn't matter now. This time, Flowey wasn't killing him for entertainment. He just needed that SOUL.

Flowey sat on that bookshelf for quite some time. Boaris was as boring as ever! Flowey watched him for an hour, and Boaris never once got out of his chair. Flowey wished he could take a look at his computer screen and see what was so damn interesting, but that was too risky. Boaris might have seen him if he tried. If only he was still in control of the timeline.

Eventually, something finally happened. There was a knock on the door. Boaris left, and he quickly returned. He had visitors, none other than President Malcom himself. That Nora woman was with him, acting as a bodyguard.

"Yes," Boaris said. "Asgore is really causing trouble. I can't believe I ever listened to that old fool."

Malcom nodded. "Indeed, but let's get to the point. I think it's about time we stop playing around and show everyone just how powerful monsters truly are."

_Whoa, what are they talking about?_

Boaris nodded, but he did not speak.

"Everything all right?" Malcom asked.

"…I understand if you don't trust me," Boaris said. "That's what this is all about, after all. You don't trust us, and I understand that. I  _expect_ that. I'm  _counting_ on that. Asgore… he was right the first time. Escaping was pointless. We should have just stayed underground, where it was safe for us both."

_Wait, what?_

"But, you didn't always feel that way, did you?" Malcom asked.

Boaris shook his head solemnly. "No. When Asgore announced his plan to destroy humanity, I was among the first to cheer for him. Back then, I was still blinded by my hatred for your people, but two-thousand years is a long time. Like the rest of my kind, meeting Frisk was a sobering moment, and after returning here, I was quickly reminded that humans aren't all that different from us. Yes, you may hate, you may fight, but you also love in equal measure. You… don't deserve to be destroyed."

_WHAT?!_

"My sister would have been proud of you," Malcom said. "But at the same time, disappointed."

"Asgore is no better now," Boaris said. "It's too dangerous for our races to live together. My people refuse to admit it, but both of us were better off when we were sealed away."

Boaris… wanted monsters to go back? He thought they were better off back down there? Well… maybe he had a point. Asriel himself had said that the surface wasn't as nice as the underground, but...

No… no! Chara gave up her own life to get monsters back on the surface, and Asriel had died too! Asgore killed six humans and forever lost Toriel so monsters could rule the surface, and Frisk died so many times to finally destroy it. Everyone had fought so hard to escape the underground, and now Boaris wanted them to go back? He wanted to erase everything they'd worked for? He… he was a TRAITOR! Flowey hated him even more! He needed to DIE!

Nora gasped.

"Yes, that's what we're fighting for," Malcom said. "Now, I just need you to-"

"Sir!" Nora interrupted. "I sense one enemy presence."

_Huh?_

Nora looked up, straight at Flowey.

Spotted? Fine! He could take a couple of humans! Flowey sent his energy bullets flying straight at Nora. He felt a perverse satisfaction as the hot energy closed in on its target.

But, the bullets disappeared in a white wall of light. It was the classic defense spell, Barrier. Damn it, Nora was a mage. A fight with a human mage was not going to be easy, but Flowey could handle it. He beat Sans, after all.

Boaris summoned his axe. "Asriel? I never took you for an assassin. Yet, something seems… oddly familiar about it."

Flowey had never seen him summon his axe before. He'd never… fought back.

Nora waved him away. "Stay out of this. I'll take care of him."

"Very well," Boaris said, but he kept his axe ready.

Malcom, clearly not a fighter, backed away into a corner.

Nora drew her katana… Wait, a katana? Wasn't it a longsword last time? Whatever. From atop his bookshelf, Flowey swung a vine at Nora's side. Nora sliced the vine in half like an actual samurai. Flowey winced. It  _hurt_.

Nora scoffed. "I know you're soulless and all, but  _murder_? Does Frisk know about this?"

"Shut up!" Flowey shot more bullets at her.

She dashed aside without breaking a sweat. "Some prince you are, Asriel."

"My name's not Asriel! My name is  _Flowey_!"

"Flowey...?" Nora laughed harshly. "Oh, I see. You just can't be Asriel without your SOUL, so you've come to steal someone else's."

"Pretty much!" Flowey ensnared one of her legs with a vine. Nora held out her empty hand and sent a stream of fire racing towards it. He retracted it immediately. He knew what it felt like to burn.

"You know,  _Flowey_ ," Nora said, "my parents are pretty big DT scientists, and they've been talking about you. They say you'd need the equivalent of a red SOUL's determination to survive, which could potentially make you a World Master."

"Shut up!" Flowey slapped a vine across her face.

Nora smiled, with blood dripping down her lips. "A little while before Frisk became the World Master, someone else had control of the timeline, someone was World Master after Jacob and before Frisk. Jacob was almost driven to madness trying to find out who it was. They reset more times than he cared to count, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find anyone else who remembered everything."

"I said shut up!" Flowey tried to whip her again, but Nora grabbed the vine and set it on fire. He screamed. He would've rather fought Sans than burn. Retracting the vine would've spread the flame, so he used a thorn to sever it from himself.

Nora laughed, and she knocked down the bookshelf Flowey was on. He fell to the ground.

She looked down at him. "This mysterious World Master, that was  _you_ , wasn't it?"

Nora thrust her sword down at him. Flowey rolled out of the way and sprouted his legs. Her sword cut through the floor and splintered it.

Nora giggled, like a psychopath. She was enjoying this  _way_  too much, and that was saying something coming from Flowey. She pulled her sword out of the floor, and she pointed it at him. "So,  _Flowey_ , how many people have you killed? How many times have you killed them?"

Flowey screamed, and he shot a hailstorm of thorns at her. Nora cast a barrier, and Flowey grabbed her from behind and threw her into the wall. Her barrier faded, and he sent more thorns straight into her body. Her MP uniform was stained with small spots of her blood all over. She fell to her knees.

"N-Nora!" Malcom fearfully called out.

She got back up, laughing. She was insane! "I can tell you've done this a lot…  _Asriel._ "

" _Don't call me that_!" Flowey slammed a large vine down at her. She jumped out of the way.

"Flowey… Asriel… it's a matter of perspective," Nora said. "You know what I think of your perspective?" Nora's katana disappeared, and from her dimensional box, she summoned two longswords.

Dual swords? Seriously? That was so Anime!

Nora lunged at him. She swung both of her swords at him at dizzying speed. He couldn't dodge every strike. Flowey cried out in pain at every cut.

"You're a  _coward_!"

Nora finished the attack with a hard kick to Flowey's face. He was sent flying backwards into the wall. His whole flower body writhed in pain, only being kept together by his determination, but it wouldn't hold out against more attacks like that.

Flowey groaned. "D-didn't anyone ever tell you that Anime isn't real?"

Nora grinned. She struck Flowey again and sent him flying into another wall. "I MAKE Anime real!"

He forced himself back on his magic-powered feet. Was she right? Was he a coward for calling himself Flowey?

"Yes," Nora said. "You're a coward. You hide behind your fake name, because you can't accept that  _Asriel_  is responsible for what you've done, but do you really think calling yourself Flowey can protect Asriel from your sins? Can you excuse all the pain you've caused just because you're soulless?"

"N-no," Flowey said. "That's… that's not it. I just… don't want anyone's worthless pity."

"Fair enough, but…" She pulled out one of the bloody thorns lodged insider her. "You don't want anyone to remember you like  _this_ , do you? You'd rather be remembered as the innocent cute little goat child that no one could save."

Flowey grimaced.

"But you were  _never_  innocent," she harshly said. "You let your dear sister take her own life. Painfully. Slowly. All so you could let your dangerous race roam free. Did you not think of the consequences your freedom might have? Chara did."

She suddenly took another swing at him. Flowey ducked under it and swept her to the ground. He stabbed at her with a thorny vine, but Nora cut it off and rolled back to her feat.

"As much of a hard time I give her," Nora went on. "I actually have a lot of respect for Chara. We're not so different, really. We both simply made a choice. I chose to stand with my own kind, while she sided with monsters. But you? You're just an idiot who couldn't make up his mind until it was too late."

…All right, it was time to bring out the big magic. They weren't as powerful as the ones he'd used against Frisk, but they still packed a punch.

Flower conjured a bomb. He held it with a vine and laughed. "Yes, you're right. Because of my indecision, Chara sacrificed herself for nothing. You said you respect her, but she does  _not_ respect you. She  _hates_ you! So, if I want to make up for my betrayal, blowing you to bloody pieces will be a nice start!"

Flower tossed his bomb at Nora. Her purple eyes widened. She rolled to the side and barley cleared the explosion. "Wh-what? Bombs? I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that."

Cackling, Flowey threw more bombs at Nora.

Nora infused her swords with some spell, making them glow with a white light. She swung at the air, and a shockwave of magical energy followed each swing. The magical beams collided with the bombs, detonating them in mid-air. Oh, come on! Why did she have to be so damn persistent? Flowey didn't relent. He threw more bombs all around her. She couldn't keep countering forever. He had to win! He had to kill her, for Chara!

Nora spun around and slashed every single bomb Flowey threw at her, but her back was to him now. He had her! Flower gripped a bomb in his vines.

Nora immediately turned around and swung at him. Flowey tried to throw it away, but it was too late. Her shockwave detonated the bomb in his vines. Flowey yelped form the heat and shock of the magical explosion. He wheezed and struggled to see through the smoke.

He recovered just in time to see Nora's blade impale his face.

_N-no… I can't…_

Nora laughed once more. "Ah! It's such a damn shame I won't remember this!"

She tore Flowey's face in half.

Flowey had died many times before, but… he always had control of the timeline. He knew Frisk would reset, but not before his consciousness faded. For the first time, he was going to truly leave this world. He was scared. He was again confronted with that question: If you didn't have a soul, then what happened when you… died? As he left his mortal coil, he was filled with primal fear. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live again. He wanted to love again. He wanted to be Asriel again. He thought of the ones he once loved most, vainly wishing they could save him somehow.  _Mom, Dad, Frisk, Chara…_

But nobody came.

* * *

" **In the future, if you, uh, see me... don't think of it as me, okay?"**

**-Asriel Dreemurr**


	18. Pieces

Chara woke up in a cold sweat.

"Chara..."

It was the middle of the night. She was in Frisk's bed, and Frisk was beside her, holding her. "F-Frisk? What?"

"You were crying in your sleep," Frisk explained.

"Oh… sorry to wake you, Frisk."

"Were you dreaming about Felicia?"

It had been a while, but the last dream was stronger than any other, and absolutely horrifying. Chara turned to face him. "Frisk, it was awful! Her brother… someone poisoned him. He died right in front of her."

"What? But, he's still alive."

"Yes, Felicia reset to save him, and that's what woke me up."

"Oh… did you… see who did it?"

Chara shook her head. "No, but Frisk, this dream was different than the others. It was... stronger than a dream. I didn't just see through her eyes. I could feel her  _thoughts_. I knew what she was thinking, Frisk."

"Her thoughts? Like when you were in my head?"

"No," she answered. "It was nothing like when I was in your head. It was disorienting. I had trouble feeling my own thoughts over hers. It felt so weird, and the worst part was feeling how she felt about everyone. I could feel how much she cared about her brother, her parents, Nate, and even Nora." She stifled a bitter laugh. "It felt wrong. I hate Nora, but in this dream, I was forced to like her, because Felicia liked her. Jacob too. Felicia was so heartbroken over his death, and by extension,  _I_ was heartbroken, but why should I care? That creature holds no love for monsters whatsoever. He would see my family rot underground for eternity."

"…Maybe," Frisk said, "but I don't think he was always like that."

God, Frisk was an insanely kind person. He had every right to hate Malcom, but it sounded like he was willing to give even him a chance. Chara loved him for it, but she couldn't be half as merciful as Frisk. She hated Malcom, but did she have the right to hate him? Did she have the right to hate anyone? Malcom was right about one thing. If she'd had her way, she would have committed genocide against humanity, and… Frisk never would have been born. Sweet, wonderful Frisk. That alone was an unforgivable sin. How could she judge anyone after that?

Chara sighed. She had to focus. It was possible that finding out who killed Felicia could be used against Malcom somehow. Although, there was also the matter of what caused all those timelines to be destroyed. Dr. Gaster had spoken of alternate timelines before. They may have been different worlds, but it was still frightening to hear about so many being destroyed for no apparent reason. The Miller scientists predicted that her timeline, the very world she lived in, may have been destroyed about thirty years from then, and that was about how long it had been until Frisk arrived underground, and when…  _she_  had awakened…

No, out of the question! Frisk would  _never_ let her do something like that. Even if she wanted to, Frisk would've stopped her. She couldn't have overpowered him if she tried. Frisk was too strong, too kind. No matter what kind of demon was influencing him, he  _never,_ in  _any_ world, would've allowed something so vile to happen. Frisk had nothing to do with those timelines.

At the very least, not the Frisk she knew, not  _her_ Frisk.

"Are you all right?" Frisk asked her.

She wasn't. That dream had shaken her, and not just because of the murder. She shook her head. "No, I'm not all right."

"What's wrong?"

"…Sorry," Chara apologized. "I'm… scared, Frisk. That last dream, it felt like… like I  _was_ Felicia. By taking Felicia's SOUL, I've taken part of her into myself. I'm afraid that… I might not be entirely myself anymore. Felicia is a part of me now."

"…But, it's still you," Frisk said. Cute, but it didn't change the facts.

"Frisk, don't you get it? How do I know that my feelings for you are  _my_ feelings? How do I know it's  _me_? What if…  _Felicia_ is the one who's fallen in love with you?"

Frisk couldn't help but laugh. "No, it's you, Chara. I know it's you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Felicia never even knew me, especially not like you. Just think about your brother. How do you feel about him?"

She did so. She saw what Frisk was trying to say. When she was soulless, Chara could no longer feel anything for Asriel, but now, all those feelings were back, exactly as before. Felicia no doubt would have grown to like Asriel if she knew him, but she didn't. Felicia couldn't have possibly loved him the way Chara did, right? Chara's feelings for Asriel were her own, not Felicia's, and the same went for Frisk. She may have gained some of Felicia's feelings, but her own feelings were back as well. At least, she hoped they were hers.

She hugged Frisk back. "Well, one thing's for sure, someone really loves you, Frisk."

"Chara, I love  _you_. I love the girl who never gave up and always told me to stay determined when I needed it most. I'm sure I would have been great friends with Felicia if I knew her, and she didn't deserve what happened to her, but  _you're_ the one who's been with me this whole time."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "All right, I guess I should tell you everything about my dream."

Frisk lovingly rubbed her back. Chara let out a soft whimper at Frisk's warm touch, and she felt her anxiety melt away. "Later," Frisk said. "Just rest for now. I'll stay with you."

Chara was indeed still tired. She was a little wary of having another dream, but as long as Frisk was by her side, she was filled with hope.

"Very well," Chara said. She smirked. "But, Frisk… I thought this was too frisky for you?"

He squeezed her tight. "Oh, shut up!"

"Hee hee… I love you."

He kissed her cheek. "I love you too."

Curled up in Frisk's warm embrace, Chara easily fell back to sleep.

* * *

Chara was rudely awakened by the ringing of her cellphone.

She opened her eyes. It was morning, and Frisk was still beside her, also waking up.

"Ugh… that's yours, right?" Frisk groggily asked.

Chara sat up and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. It was a random number, probably some human trying to sell her something. Just one more reason to  _love_ humanity. She declined the call.

It rang again. Well, they were persistent enough to try a second time. Did they know who they were calling? Did they want to call her a demon who should be burning in hell? Chara supposed she would grant them an audience. She accepted the call. "Greetings, you have reached Chara Dreemurr, for whatever reason."

A painfully familiar voice laughed. "Oh, Chara…"

Why was  _Nora_ calling her? She put it on speaker so Frisk could hear.

"What the fuck do  _you_  want?"

Nora laughed again. "Chara, how vulgar! Would Toriel appreciate that kind of language?"

"Get to the point or I'm hanging up."

"Oh, all right. I'm just calling to tell you about your brother, Asriel, or do you prefer 'Flowey?' Either way, he's been a very bad kid."

Chara felt her face turn pale. How did she know that name?

Nora sent her a picture. "Yes, I'm afraid Asriel is only  _half_ the flower he once was."

She screamed when she saw it. Flowey was torn in half. An expression of terror was still visible on his severed face.

"A-Asriel…" Frisk muttered, horrified.

"…I'm going to kill you," Chara breathed. "You hear me? I'm going to  _kill_ you!"

"Oh, Jacob!" Nora exclaimed. "Please tell me about this after the reset! I can sense her killing intent all the way from here!"

"Why?" Chara demanded. "Why did you do that to him?!"

" _He_ attacked  _us_ ," Nora claimed. "He came to murder poor Boaris for his SOUL. His malice was so strong that I spotted him immediately. And then, he tried to kill me for  _you,_ Chara! He said he wanted to tear me to bloody pieces in  _your_ honor! Aren't you proud of him?"

Flowey tried to kill Boaris? Oh, Flowey… This was Chara's fault. She should've paid more attention to him, and Chara  _never_ wanted her brother to kill for her. She'd already tried to make him a murderer once,  _never_ again.

"Why did you call  _me_?" Chara asked. "Frisk is the one who can reset."

Come to think of it, why was she calling them at all? Just to get it over with? Chara supposed they couldn't keep his disappearance a secret forever.

"Why, because I like you, Chara!" Nora exclaimed. "Frisk is boring! He's such a goody-two-shoes; where's the fun in that? You're so much more interesting!"

…What was wrong with her?

"Why  _are_ you telling me all this?" Chara asked.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was solely out of the kindness of our hearts?"

"Not for a second."

"Probably wise, but I'm not very big on lying. I just tell it how it is! Now, go ahead and get on with your mass memory wiping!"

Frisk cringed.

"I'm going to kill you," Chara repeated.

"Hey, I know the feeling," Nora said. "If anyone hurt Jacob or Nate, I'd want them dead too."

Chara felt something strange in the back of her SOUL. Something like… nostalgia. Chara cursed silently. Why was her SOUL trying to make her care about someone she hated?

'Well, I'm sure I'll see you after the reset," Nora said, "or at least, most of me will. After all, you  _are_ about to take away a small piece of me, a piece that I'll rather miss, too. Oh, well. Bye!" Nora hung up.

Chara looked into Frisk's frightened eyes. "Frisk, please…"

Frisk nodded.

* * *

_Who am I?_

Right, he was Flowey, Flowey the Flower, the soulless essence of Asriel Dreemurr. He needed to kill Boaris for his SOUL, and he was fighting Nora, but he…

Flowey felt sick. His vision was hazy. Where was he?

There were purple walls, and a dark blue and burgundy tiled floor. There were humans and monsters seated at tables all around. Most of them were either conversing or consuming food. Flowey was on one of these tables. He noticed two humans looking at him. They both looked like young teenagers, and water was leaking from their eyes. One of them had tan skin, dark red eyes, and brown hair that went down to his shoulders, and he wore a blue sweater with two magenta stripes. His face had a gentle and caring appearance.

The other human looked oddly similar, but there were some distinct differences. Her hairstyle was nearly identical, except its color was brighter and more of an auburn than brown. Her eyes were also red, but brighter, more conspicuous. Her skin tone was pale, and her cheeks were noticeably rosy. She wore a green sweater with a single pale yellow stripe, and she was wearing something around her neck, a golden locket shaped like a heart. Something about the locket captivated Flowey. It looked so… familiar.

Oh… they were his best friends, Frisk and Chara.

They were saying something to him, but his hearing wasn't working right. Their voices sounded muffled and distant. Flowey tried to focus.

"Asriel… Asriel!"

Flowey coughed. "H-howdy."

Chara hugged Flowey's face to her cheek. "Brother! Are you okay?"

"Ugh… been better."

"Y-you didn't have to do that, Asriel," Chara said through her tears. "No matter how much I hate someone, I  _never_ want you to kill for me. You don't owe me a damn thing."

Flowey smiled. "All right. I let you kill yourself, and you got me killed. I guess we'll call it even."

"...You  _do_ deserve to live again," Chara said. "I said it before; if only my human SOUL could make you Asriel again, I'd give it to you immediately."

"Yeah, but then Frisk would be sad. And… Asriel would be sad."

"Asriel," Frisk said, "why do you keep talking like that? You  _are_  Asriel."

Flowey couldn't believe him. He sounded just like Nora. Anger swelled inside him. "NO, FRISK! I'M FLOWEY!"

Frisk whimpered. "I'm sorry. I know you're… missing an important part of yourself, but Asriel's still in there, right? I saw it myself."

"…Yeah." Flowey calmed down and thought it over. Nora did have a point. Asriel couldn't ignore the horrible things he'd done as Flowey. Asriel  _didn't_ ignore it. Asriel himself said there was no excuse for his actions. Flowey still didn't see himself as Asriel, but he was  _part_ of Asriel. Flowey would always be a part of Asriel. Even if he became Asriel again, he'd have to live knowing that a piece of himself was once a genocidal murderer.

Flowey looked at Frisk. "How do you not hate me? I didn't just kill you, Frisk. I  _tortured_ you." He looked at Chara. "And I did this even when I thought Frisk was  _you_."

"It's not your fault," Frisk said.

"It wasn't you," Chara said.

He frowned. "I'm sorry for making you reset. I know how much you hate resets, Chara, and I know how much you hate having to do it, Frisk."

Chara clenched her fists. "Nora is going to pay. I'll show her the consequences of hurting my family."

Frisk held her shoulder. "Chara, even ignoring the law, what can you do? She killed Asriel, and he's  _really_ strong."

"I'll keep training in magic," she answered. "I'll get stronger. I won't be powerless anymore. I  _will_ have the power to destroy her."

Frisk didn't look happy.

"Frisk," Chara said, "don't tell me you expect me to take mercy on her."

"I… I don't know," Frisk said. It seemed like even  _his_ pacifism was reaching its limit.

Flowey took another look around. He realized they were in the MTT Resort's restaurant. Frisk had reset to the last time he'd seen him… Ah, hell.

Their waitress came to the table. "Good evening, welcome to the MTT Restaurant," she said robotically. "My name is Bova Fheit, and I'll be serving you tonight. Are you ready to order?"

_I hear she's good friends with Loox!_ Flowey thought to himself.

"We'll share a steak," Frisk answered.

The cow monster sighed. "How would you like that cooked?"

"Up to you, Frisk," Chara said.

"Rare," Frisk said with a smile.

"Frisk!" Chara exclaimed. She looked at the waitress. "He's being nice! He wants it cooked more!"

"Why don't you just get separate steaks?" Bova asked.

"That's not as romantic," Frisk answered.

"He  _at least_ wants it medium rare," Chara said.

"So, medium rare?" Bova asked.

"Oh, all right," Frisk said.

"Okay, medium rare it is. Anything for the, uh, flower?"

"I'm good," Flowey said.

Bova left to put in their order. Chara looked at Flowey and smiled. "This is your punishment," she said. "For making Frisk reset, you have to watch us date again."

Flowey felt a chill run down his steam.

Chara made her creepy face. "Mess up again, and we'll make out right in front of you!"

"Ch-Chara!" Flowey shouted. "Wait, you and Frisk  _kissed_?! Like,  _really_ kissed?!"

Chara giggled sinisterly. "Well… technically, not yet."

"I feel even SICKER now!"

Frisk smiled. "It felt  _so_  nice…"

"I couldn't get enough," Chara purred.

"Stop it! Stop it! I learned my lesson! No more assassination attempts! I get it!"

Frisk caressed Chara's cheek. "You're so pretty, Chara."

Chara gave him a disgustingly _sweet_  smile. "And you look  _dashing_ , Frisk."

" _Stop_! Please, have mercy!"

"Do you hear something, my love?" Frisk asked.

"Just the sound of your sweet voice," Chara sickly responded.

This was going to be a bad time.

* * *

Frisk and Chara returned home, with Asriel this time.

Toriel greeted them in the foyer. "Welcome back!" She giggled. "Did you enjoy your date?"

"We did!" Frisk happily exclaimed.

"They sure did," Asriel grumbled. "They. Are. DISGUSTING!"

Toriel laughed. "Oh, Asriel, always so easily embarrassed. It reminds me of… old times…"

Chara smiled. "Mother, Frisk is an amazing person."

"Ah, yes, he is," Toriel agreed.

"By the way, Mother, in case you are unaware, Frisk and I are serious about this dating thing."

Toriel frowned. "Oh, my sweet child, knowing Frisk, I highly doubt that he -"

"No, she's right!" Frisk said. "This isn't a joke. We really are dating!"

"Wait, what?"

Frisk and Chara explained this to her all over again. It was kind of a pain, repeating themselves, but Toriel had to know. Like last time, she approved of the relationship. After clearing things up, Frisk, Chara, and Asriel went to their room.

"Asriel," Chara said, "now that we're done torturing you, I have a lot to tell you and Frisk. I've recently experienced another one of Felicia's memories."

Chara relayed her latest dream in all its disturbing detail.

"Damn," Asriel said, "even by my standards, that's brutal."

Frisk wondered who could have done it. Everyone denied responsibility, but everyone could've had a compelling motive. "Chara, what do you think?"

"The important question is: why did Jacob die?" Chara said. "Was it really an accident, or was he the intended target all along?"

Frisk wasn't sure. "But, why would someone want to kill Jacob?"

Chara made one of her bitter laughs. "If someone knew what he was going to become, why wouldn't they?"

"It sounds like something I've done before," Asriel said, "torturing someone to break down the people who love them. I think the killer is tormenting Jacob to hurt Felicia."

Frisk winced. That sounded  _horrible_. He wasn't sure if even he could forgive someone for that.

"It could be anyone," Chara said. "Their parents seemed really upset over Jacob's death, but of course they'd act that way if they are the killers. If they are guilty, they wouldn't give it away by laughing off their own son's illness. That would be stupid. Maybe it was the mother, maybe it was the father, or maybe it was both. Or, perhaps it was the scientists, John Miller and Eva Miller. Those two have plenty of motive and clearly did not like Felicia. If one is involved, the other is probably involved as well. They seem like clones, really.

"Nora's still a prime suspect as well, but I admit that she seemed genuinely pissed over Jacob's death. I don't think it's Nate. He strikes me as a nothing more than a carefree dork who tragically lost his innocence over Felicia's death. He kind of reminds me of you, Asriel. Still, it would be unwise to ignore him. Hell, it could even be Jacob himself. He could be committing suicide, making Felicia hunt down a killer that doesn't even exist."

God, Frisk hoped it wasn't  _that_. Then again, none of the possibilities were particularly good. Frisk hadn't had the best experience with his biological parents, but even he had a hard time believing a parent could do such a thing to their own child. Though, how  _could_  it be one of the children? "How would one of the children get poison?" Frisk asked. "Uh, well, a concealable poison, anyway."

"What  _was_ the poison?" Asriel asked.

"I think it was in the tea," Chara answered. "Jacob took a sip from it shortly before he died."

"So, yeah," Frisk said, "how could a child get ahold of something poisonous to slip in tea?"

"I'm sure they could find a way. I did."

Even if one of the kids  _could_ have done it, they were still just kids! Well, Nora was about Frisk's current age, and Felicia and Nate were thirteen, but Jacob was only ten! Frisk didn't want to believe they could do it, and he didn't want to believe the parents could do it, either That only left one possibility he felt  _somewhat_ comfortable with, relatively speaking, anyway. "I agree with Felicia," he said. "I think it was the scientists."

"A strong possibility," Chara agreed, "but not a certainty."

Frisk was getting frustrated. They  _really_ needed some evidence to narrow down the suspects. "Hey, here's an idea. Let's see where their parents are now."

"Ah, good idea!" Chara exclaimed.

Asriel looked them up. Shortly after Jacob Malcom succeeded his mother as the President of the Human Government, Elizabeth Malcom and Booker Malcom both went into retirement, and they divorced. The Millers, meanwhile, were still active scientists studying SOULs and DT, and they reportedly were still living together happily.

"Hmm…" Chara thought, "perhaps the divorce is a sign of guilt, or it could also be a sign of depression. Doesn't prove anything." She sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. I suppose all we can do is wait for more dreams to unfold."

"I guess." Frisk yawned. It hadn't been that long for him, but he felt just as tired as he did this same night before the reset. "All right, let's get some sleep."

Chara smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind sleeping together again."

"WHAT?!" Asriel screamed. "Oh, fine! I'm leaving!" Asriel stormed out of the room.

Chara looked worried. "Asriel, wait! Don't do anything dangerous, all right?"

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving the house!"

Frisk laughed. "Maybe we were a little too hard on him."

"We should do something nice for him," Chara said. "I feel so bad for him."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, we'll see Alphys like we planned, and then we'll do something else for him."

Chara yawned. "I suppose we shall decide tomorrow." She kicked off her shoes and tucked herself into bed. With a smile, Frisk joined her.

Chara giggled. "Feels like we were just here."

Frisk laughed. "Yeah."

"You sure went form 'I'm not ready for that' to jumping right in rather quickly. Have my seductive charms corrupted you?

He stroked her adorable auburn hair. "Yes, you're bringing out my bad side…"

Chara blushed profusely. "W-well, I guess there are worse vices to have."

"Hey, if you're uncomfortable, I can leave."

She grabbed his shoulder. "No! Stay!"

Frisk smiled warmly. "Chara, if you have another bad dream, I'll be here for you."

She smiled back and held him tight. "Thank you, Frisk."

He kissed her lips. "Goodnight, Chara."

She kissed him back. "'Night, my Frisk."

She turned off the light, and Frisk fell asleep in the warmth of Chara's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm Charisk trash. On a more serious note, Felicia certainly has trouble. Got any theories for who killed Felicia/Jacob? I'd like to see what you think.


	19. Phantom Pain

_Why even bother?_

Frisk and Chara were taking Flowey to Alphys's lab. He wasn't sure why. He knew there was no way that lizard could save him, not without a monster soul. Why did they insist on wasting time when Boaris was planning to become an unstoppable god? He always knew that Frisk's sentimentality would be the death of him, but he thought Chara knew better.

They arrived at the lab and knocked on the door, Undyne greeted them, with a nervous expression on her face. "Oh, hey!"

Frisk smiled at her. "Hi, Undyne! How are you doing?"

"Oh, we're doing great!" she said. "Alphys is doing just fine!"

_Sure…_

Frisk frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! There's nothing wrong with Alphys whatsoever! Why would you say that?"

Frisk tried to step inside, but Undyne blocked him. "H-hey! Uh, it's a nice day outside, isn't it? Why don't you stay out here for a while?"

"Undyne, what's wrong?" Chara asked.

"Nothing!" Undyne insisted. "Alphys just needs a minute… or an hour."

They moved past Undyne and saw Alphys. She was at her computer, looking very distraught. She panicked when she saw them. "O-oh! Hey, everyone!"

"Alphys, what's the matter?" Frisk asked.

'Oh, it's nothing!" Alphys lied.

Chara and Flowey looked at Alphys's computer screen. It was on her email account, and her inbox was full of hateful messages over Endogeny and the other amalgamates. People were blaming her for Endogeny's incident.

"Malcom deserves death," Chara growled. "His malicious communications need to stop."

"Alphys…" Frisk hugged her. "It's not your fault."

"That's what I keep telling her!" Undyne exclaimed.

"But it  _is_ my fault," Alphys said. "If I hadn't given them all that DT so carelessly, they would be at peace, but instead I forced them to live as… Well, you know how they are."

"Hey, it's not all bad," Flowey said. "At least they can still feel happiness and stuff."  _Oh, wait, probably not helping._

Alphys sniffled. "I know why you're here. No, I haven't made any progress on Asriel. Pathetic, isn't it? I can't correct any of my mistakes."

_Big surprise there._

"Th-that's all right, Alphys," Frisk said, although he failed to hide some disappointment.

"Is there anything I can do?" Chara asked.

"Can you get me a spare monster soul?" Alphys responded.

_As Jerry would say, awkward…_

"I'd  _love_ to give you Boaris's soul," Chara said. "That bastard wants all of you to go back underground."

Alphys nodded. "I can understand that."

Undyne wasn't as understanding. "What?! Boaris wants us to go back?  _Fuck_ … Uh, I mean, screw that!"

"Yes, fuck that," Chara said.

_Golly, Toriel wouldn't…_ Who was he kidding? Toriel was no stranger to that kind of language. Asgore, on the other hand, would be  _very_  unhappy to hear Chara talk like that.

"Seriously, though!" Undyne exclaimed. "You worked so hard to get us here, and now Boaris wants us to go back? Why?"

"He's afraid of another war breaking out," Frisk explained. "He thinks it's safer for both races if monsters just went back to Mount Ebott. Apparently, he's working with Malcom to make this happen."

"Hey, here's an idea!" Undyne shouted. "Why don't we send the HUMANS underground? See how THEY like it? Uh, no offense."

Chara smiled. "I love you, Undyne."

Frisk frowned. "Undyne, I want everyone to live in peace."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Undyne replied. "I'm just saying, if  _someone_ has to go underground again, why not humans? Boaris is a real piece of garbage!"

"I don't blame him," Alphys said. "He still remembers the first war. After what his daughter did, and what happened to the rest of his family, I'd have a hard time imagining him supporting peace with humanity. To him, it's only a matter of time until a monster seeks the power of the human SOUL."

Flowey didn't care how tragic his past was. Frisk probably had a different opinion, but he didn't care about that, either. Boaris needed to die.

"So, what are we gonna do about him?" Undyne asked. "I need to kick his boar booty!"

"I tried that," Flowey admitted.

Frisk solemnly nodded. "Yes, Asriel died trying to kill Boaris for his soul. He was caught by Malcom and his bodyguard. I had to reset to save him."

Alphys frowned. "Sans wouldn't be happy to hear that. He knows you needed them to save us, but he still hates resets."

Flowey himself wasn't sure if he deserved to be saved. Better people than him died all the time, why did he deserve special treatment? Would Frisk even protect himself like that? Would he reset  _just_ to save himself? No, he wouldn't. Frisk had reset before, but that was so he could free the monsters, not just to save his own life. Maybe he'd reset if he got murdered, but if he got hit by a car or something, that'd be it for him.

"I know," Frisk regretfully said, "but I couldn't just let Asriel die."

"I need to kick Malcom's butt too!" Undyne exclaimed.

"It gets worse," Flowey said. "Before I died, I overhead him talking to Malcom. They were saying something about 'showing everyone how strong monsters are.'"

Undyne's eyes widened. "They can't possibly mean…"

Flowey nodded. "That's what it sounds like."

Undyne clenched her fists. "We need to do something."

"But what?" Alphys asked.

"I don't know, tell everyone?" Undyne suggested.

"We have no proof," Chara said. "Our word alone is insufficient for such an extreme accusation."

"And we don't want to cause panic," Alphys said. "That could be exactly what Malcom wants."

"Then what do we DO?!" Undyne asked with frustration.

"I have a few ideas," Flowey said.

Frisk and Chara both looked worried. Understandable, after his last stunt, but Flowey had it this time.

Undyne, on the other hand, looked excited. "Don't leave us hanging! What is it?"

"You and Alphys just keep an eye on Boaris," Flowey said. "Frisk, Chara, and I are going to figure this all out."

"Oh,  _come on_!" Undyne complained. "You're seriously going out there without  _me_? As Captain of the Royal Guard, I demand a part in this investigation!"

_Hmm… she could be useful, actually._

"All right!" Flowey chirped. "You can come with us too, Undyne!"

Undyne laughed. "That's right! You can't do this without me!"

"B-be careful, Undyne," Alphys said.

"Aw, you're so sweet to worry about me! Come here!" Undyne kissed her. Disgusting. Seriously, what was so great about putting your mouth against another's? Even when he had his soul, Flowey never understood that.

"U-Undyne!" Alphys squealed. "Not in front of them!"

_Finally, a voice of reason! At least one person here has a sense of decency._

Undyne smiled. "Don't worry, dear! You know I won't let anyone hurt me!"

Alphys smiled back. "Y-yeah, you're right, and I've got your back! I'll watch you from here."

"Ah, that's right!" Flowey exclaimed. "Alphys, you have access to the surveillance network, don't you?"

"Umm, yes?" Alphys answered.

"Perfect! Alphys, I need you to monitor that little 'protection squad' of Frisk's."

"Uh, okay?"

"Brother, what  _are_ you planning?" Chara asked.

Flowey grinned. "We're going to have a little chat with someone."

"What do you mean?" Frisk asked.

"Someone who shouldn't be hard to find. He's always close by."

Chara figured it out. "Nate?"

He was the obvious target. Malcom and Boaris would be ready for them, and Flowey still wasn't sure how Nora had detected him so easily. It was like she had some kind of sixth sense. An attack on any of them would probably go as about as well as last time. Miller, however, was stuck with them, and Flowey was confident he could get him to talk. "That's right. We're going to get Miller to tell us everything he knows."

"Who the hell is Miller?" Undyne asked.

"Frisk's stalker," Flowey answered. "He's in charge of some people that 'protect' Frisk. They secretly follow him around wherever he goes."

"Oh, like the Royal Guard, except creepier."

"Exactly."

"Not that I'm defending him, but what do you need him for?"

"That's… a long story," Chara said.

"We'll fill you in on the way," Flowey said.

Chara looked at Flowey with a sad expression. "Asriel, I wanted to spend some time with you today."

Flowey was honestly confused. "Then what's the problem? We're doing this together. We  _are_ spending time with each other."

"Yes, but, you know, not like this. I wanted to do something nice for you."

_Aw, and here I thought you only care about Frisk now._

"Yeah," Frisk said. "Chara and I feel bad about what happened to you. We know it must have hurt, and we want to make it up to you."

Their worthless sentiments were lost on him. "Look, I'm sure Asriel would be touched, but the fate of the world is kind of at stake here. We don't have time to mess around. Whatever you have in mind can wait."

"To be honest," Chara said, "we did not have anything specific in mind. However, we want to give you a day of your own. We shall do whatever you desire… within reason."

Flowey could tell what they were thinking. What could they possibly do for someone unable to care about others? How could they possibly make him happy?

"Can we kill Boaris?" Flowey asked. "Because that's  _literally_ the only thing that would make me happy."

Chara sighed. "I wish, Asriel. I wish."

Yes, of course they couldn't. Although, Flowey did like the idea of being in control for a day. Having someone do everything he said was always fun, but fun wasn't what Flowey wanted at the moment. Aside from Boaris's SOUL, there was only one thing Flowey wanted.

"All right, I accept your offer!" Flowey exclaimed. "Today is Flowey Day! Today, you'll all do what  _I_ want! And if there's anything I want, it's to satisfy my curiosity. You see, this whole thing with Malcom, Felicia, and everyone else is all part of a big story, and I say, this story is moving too damn slow! It's time to stop flirting around and  _get this plot moving_!"

Undyne was offended. "What? You got a problem with me and Alphys? You think romance is trashy? Well, it's not! It's adorable and awesome! You got that?!"

"Oh, you disgust me too," Flowey said, "but I was talking about a certain other pair."

Alphys giggled. "Undyne, you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Oh, you have  _no_  idea!"

"Huh?"

Frisk whispered something to Chara. She smiled and shook her head.

Alphys laughed. "Oh, nothing."

Undyne shrugged. "Whatever. I do agree that we need to get a move on already! This Miller guy isn't going to interrogate himself!"

"A fish after my soulless heart," Flowey quipped.

Frisk looked nervous. "I don't know about this."

Flowey groaned. "Come on, Frisk. I know you're big on your pacifism thing, but don't worry. We're not going to  _kill_ him. We're just gonna talk to him, and maybe beat him up a little! That's okay, right? Even  _you_ are not above giving people a good beating when they need it. You beat up Asgore after all!"

Frisk was visibly hurt. Maybe that was a bit harsh, not that Flowey could actually feel bad for him.

Chara glared at him. "Frisk didn't want to do that."

"Chara, I…"

"It's all right," Frisk said.

No, it wasn't all right. Flowey knew he was a sociopath, and he was sick of it. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"Don't worry about it, and you're right. Like you said, not everything can be solved just by being nice."

"So, you'll do it?"

Frisk was on board. "Let's get him."

* * *

Nate hated this job.

It wasn't easy, following that kid around everywhere he went. He knew Frisk didn't like it, no one would, but they were both stuck with it. As much as Nate hated it, he did believe that his job was necessary. That terrorist attack had proven that. Frisk had to be guarded from such threats, and not to mention that crazy Chara kid he was so infatuated with.

If it were up to him, Nate would put a bullet in that lunatic's head and be done with her. He didn't care how much she had changed. Chara's crimes were unforgivable. Did Frisk have no sense of justice? No, of course not. Since when was there ever justice in this world? The world was a cruel, unforgiving place that murdered the innocent at its own fickle whims. Nate learned that long ago.

Although, he had to admit, there was something admirable about the way Frisk and Chara seemed to care for each other. Seeing them together, he couldn't help but think of Felicia. She was almost their age when she died, and Frisk reminded him of her. They were both so kind and determined to save the monsters, but Felicia could also be headstrong, sort of like Chara. Nate still didn't know if freeing the monsters was the right choice, but regardless, he missed Felicia dearly.

But, there was no time for worthless sentiment. He had to focus.

It was the middle of the day, and Frisk was walking with Chara in the center of Ebott City. For Nate and his squad, this was both a blessing and a curse. It was easier to blend in with the large crowds that roamed the urban jungle, but that also meant more eyes on them and more witnesses if they caused a scene. Nate didn't know exactly why Frisk had gone downtown, and his movements didn't make any sense. He and Chara moved through the dense city quickly and erratically. Most of his squad couldn't keep up. Only himself and two of his best agents, Agent Campbell and Agent Clark, still had him in sight. Clearly, they were trying to lose them, but why?

Suddenly, Chara led Frisk into a seemingly random, secluded alleyway devoid of people. What were they trying to pull?

"I don't like this," Clark said.

"You and me both," Nate replied.

"Orders?" Campbell requested.

"Let's move in together, nice and slow."

Nate, Campbell, and Clark grouped up at the alley's entrance. As they walked in, Frisk and Chara broke off into a sprint.

"The hell?" Campbell breathed.

"Pursue!" Nate ordered.

They didn't know what was going on, but they ran to follow them. As they gave chase, Nate heard something slam into the ground, followed by a yelp.

"I can't move!" Clark called out.

Nate and Campbell stopped to help their fellow agent. She was on the ground, and her soul was glowing with a strange green aura. Campbell tried to help her back up. She could move her arms around, but her legs were completely paralyzed. It was some kind of magic spell. If only Nora were around. She'd know what to do.

"Forget about me," Clark said.

Campbell tugged at her. "Come on! Shake it-" He fell over, surrounded by the same green aura. "Damn it! Miller, get out of here before it gets you too!"

Miller hated to leave them behind, but the mission came first. He saw Frisk turn a corner, and he ran as fast as he could. He turned the corner, and he felt something wrap itself around his body. Before he could react, he was helplessly lifted into the air. It was something green, and it smelled vaguely like a freshly mowed lawn. Well, this was something they hadn't gone over in basic.

"Hee hee hee. Howdy, Agent Miller!"

* * *

Flowey gleefully watched Miller squirm within his grasp. He never got tired of watching his victims struggle, and the plan was executed so flawlessly! He had to admit, having allies made things a lot more interesting. Undyne's paralysis spell proved to be very useful, and Alphys was also helpful for ditching the other agents. Friends were so useful! If only Flowey could actually care about them.

"Great job abandoning your friends!" Flowey mocked. "Made things real easy on us!"

"What are you doing?" Miller demanded as he kept struggling.

"I believe this is what you military types call an interrogation," Flowey answered.

Miller scoffed. "Interrogation? About what? I'm just a bodyguard. They don't tell me anything."

"Oh, we'll see about that." Flowey grabbed one of his fingers and bent it back. "It's funny. As dangerous as you are to monsters, you water sacks really aren't that durable. Want to find out how much force it takes to make you snap?"

"Asriel, that's enough!" Frisk shouted. "At least  _try_  to do this without threatening him!"

Flowey sighed. The naive idiot really didn't understand how an interrogation worked, but all right. He didn't want a repeat of what he did to Endogeny. Flowey let Miller down.

"What are you thinking?" Miller demanded. "Threatening an officer? Even for you, that's a dangerous move."

Chara folded her arms. "We require answers. You shall divulge everything you know about Malcom's plans."

Miller looked confused. "What are you talking about? What does Jacob have to do with this?"

"Do not take us for fools. We are already aware of his intention to empower Boaris with human souls. You are going to reveal when, where, and how."

"Are you insane? I know Jacob. He couldn't do something like that even if he wanted to. He may act tough, but when push comes to shove, he's a total wimp."

Well, he wasn't wrong about that. Malcom did act rather cowardly during Flowey's fight with Nora, but Flowey knew Malcom was serious. "Stop lying. You know what he's up to. We know you know what he's up to. So, why don't you spill it before I do something that'll make Frisk cry?"

"I told you," Miller spat. "I'm just a glorified bodyguard. Jacob told me to protect Frisk and report his actions, and that's it."

"Report his actions?" Chara said. "Hmm, interesting. What was the nature of this information the President requested?"

"Anything suspicious," he answered.

"Such as?"

"Like all those random expressions that he used to make when he was alone, except he wasn't alone, was he?"

"Even disregarding my presence, that would be true," Chara scathingly said.

Flowey dared to think he saw a flash of guilt in Miller's face. "Hey, I didn't enjoy-"

"NGAHHHHHH!"

Undyne flew into the alley and grabbed Miller by the collar. "All right, you creep! Start talking!"

Miller was unfazed. "Captain Undyne. Are you the one who paralyzed my men?"

Undyne laughed. "That's right! We monsters aren't all pushovers!" To prove her point, Undyne suplexed Miller and smashed his back on the ground. He groaned in pain.

Frisk, of course, felt bad. "Undyne! Don't hurt him if we don't have to!"

Undyne got Miller back to his feet. "Sorry, Frisk! Just having a little fun!"

"I could have you all arrested," Miller grumbled.

"Yeah, arrest Frisk," Flowey said. "That'll go  _really_ well. Won't piss anyone off at all."

"Yeah, now spill it!" Undyne exclaimed.

Miller was just as frustrated as they were. "For the last time, I know nothing about this 'plan' you think Jacob has. I know he doesn't like allowing the monsters to roam free, but that's it. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they're out to get you."

"All right then," Flowey said. "Time to break some fingers."

"No, wait!" Frisk exclaimed. He looked at Miller. "The future of humans and monsters is at stake. Please, if you hold any love for monsters, help us stop Malcom."

"Jacob is not-"

Now there's a surprise. Seemingly out of character, Chara gently held Miller's shoulder. "Nate, I know Jacob's your friend, but he's making a terrible mistake. We have to stop him before he does something we'll all regret."

_Wait, Nate? Jacob?_

"Yeah," Miller said. "You know a lot about mistakes. Don't you, demon?"

Frisk suddenly didn't look so diplomatic anymore. "Don't call her that."

"What's wrong with you, Frisk? That demon tried to destroy her entire hometown and make her own brother a god of death. People like her are the reason we sealed the monsters away."

"And people like Malcom are the reason she wanted that!" Flowey countered.

"Irrelevant. She made her choice when she ate those buttercups. She deserves to stay dead. When you die, you're not supposed to come back." He pointed at Flowey. "And  _your_  fate was sealed the moment you absorbed Chara's soul. If you want to redeem yourselves, then stay dead!"

"You're wrong!" Frisk shouted. "Death isn't the only way! You have a soul of justice, don't you? Then you should know the difference between justice and vengeance!"

"Ha! Justice! As if this world knows a thing about justice!"

Frisk's anger subsided. "What makes you say that?"

"Justice is an illusion," Miller said. "All our fairy tales have you believe that good always conquers evil, but power is the only thing that counts for anything in this world."

_Gee, I wonder what made him believe that._

"Nate," Chara said, "have you ever lost anyone? Someone you cared about?"

"Heh, is it that obvious? Yes, I have lost someone. If this world had any sense of justice, Felicia would still be alive."

Flowey, Frisk, and Chara all looked at each other.

"Dare I say…" Flowey said, "we can trust him?"

"What happened to Felicia?" Frisk asked Miller.

"She was one of my best friends," Miller said. "One day, she got deathly ill. They said it was a virus. She died shortly after. She died for no reason whatsoever. No greater good, no just cause, just a random, mindless virus, and no murderer to punish."

"Miller," Chara said, "what if I told you Felicia's death was no accident. What if I told you there  _was_ someone responsible for Felicia's death?"

Miller's breaths grew heavy. "What do you know about Felicia?"

Chara remained silent, but it didn't take long for Miller to connect the dots. "Your SOUL..."

Chara struggled to find the right words. "I…"

Miller grabbed Chara and pinned her against the wall. "That SOUL belongs to Felicia! Give it back!" He slammed his fist into her face. "Give it back you demon!" He hit her again. The ground was stained red with crimson drops of blood from Chara's mouth.

" _Chara_!" Frisk screamed.

"Let go of her you punk!" Undyne tried to pull Miller off of her, but he elbowed her stomach and made her collapse to her knees. Before Flowey could act, Miller pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Chara's head. He held her in a chokehold and turned to face them.

"Frisk," Flowey whispered, "it might be reset time."

"Frisk, Asriel," Chara whispered. "I…"

Miller struck her again. "Shut up!"

"Let her go!" Frisk pleaded. "Felicia wouldn't want this."

"If Chara came back," Miller yelled, "Felicia can come back too!"

"You hypocrite!" Flowey screamed. "Didn't you just say the dead should stay dead?"

"The difference," Miller said, "is that Felicia  _deserves_ to live! You know Felicia's life is worth more than Chara's!"

He had a point there. If there was a way to save Felicia, how could they justify saving Chara instead of her, aside from their own selfishness?

"I know you miss her," Frisk said, "but I won't let you kill Chara!"

Miller pressed his gun against Chara's temple. "You gonna reset, Frisk?! If you do, Jacob will want to know why. He will ask me, and I might remember! You may be the World Master, but you're not all-powerful! We can beat you!"

Flowey and Frisk both knew that perfectly well.

"If you reset, I'll kill her again!" Miller proclaimed. "I'll kill Chara as many times as it takes for you to stop playing God! Felicia didn't reset. She let herself die, so why won't you?!"

"Felicia  _did_ reset!" Frisk exclaimed. "I still don't know how she died, but I know she never wanted to leave you."

Miller's gun trembled in his hand. "Then, I'm bringing her back! Chara's life is a laughably small price to pay for Felicia's!"

"No!"

"I'm sorry, Nate," Chara said. "Felicia didn't deserve to die, but I doubt killing me will save her. If she ever awakens from death, I swear I'll put her life over my own."

_Chara…_

"You expect me to believe you're so selfless?!" Miller shouted. "You're a murderer! Now,  _give Felicia back_!"

"Y-you're making a big mistake," Undyne wheezed.

Miller laughed humorlessly. "What does it matter? Frisk is going to reset this anyway."

"No, that's not it."

"Hmm?"

"If you don't let Chara go, you're  _really_ not going to like what happens next."

"Is that so?" Miller started to squeeze the trigger. Flowey's emotions were limited, but he could feel fear. He couldn't let Chara die. She had died enough times already. Flowey reached out to stop him.

But, just before he fired, Miller's SOUL glowed blue, and he was repeatedly pummeled against the wall. His pistol flew out of his hand and landed harmlessly on the concrete. Chara broke free and ran to Frisk and Flowey's side.

Frisk held her tight. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Frisk."

"Good," Flowey said. "If he killed you, I'd make him suffer more than he can imagine."

Frisk let go. "But, who helped us?"

Sans causally walked in. "Hey there."

Flowey had never been so happy to see Smiley Trashbag.

Frisk gave Sans a hug. He really had an addiction to hugging. "Oh my God, Sans! Thank you!"

"Heh, careful, kid. If you squeeze me too hard, you'll knock off my 1 HP."

"But, how did you…?"

Undyne coughed. "Alphys thought we might need some extra help."

Sans winked. "Yep. Good thing she did, huh?" He let go of Frisk and held Miller against the wall with his telekinetic magic.

"Sans…" Frisk breathed. "I didn't know you were so strong."

Flowey laughed to himself. Frisk had no idea. Sans hadn't even used his blasters.

Sans shrugged. "What? I'm actually the weakest monster. I can only deal one damage."

"One damage my ass," Miller groaned, earning him another slam against the floor.

"Learned your lesson?"

"Who killed her?" Miller asked. "Who killed Felicia?"

Flowey wrapped a vine around Miller's neck. "Why the hell should we tell you anything after that?!"

Chara waved her hand. "It's okay, Asriel."

"Fine, but if he tries anything else, he's dead." Flowey and Sans let him down.

Chara looked at Miller. "We don't know who killed Felicia, but we're trying to find out. Through Felicia's SOUL, I have been experiencing some of her memories. So far, I've witnessed the murder of her brother."

Miller didn't understand. "Why would someone kill Jacob?"

"It was most likely a tactic to demotivate Felicia."

He looked despondent. "So, that's what really happened. Someone used her brother against her."

"Nate," Frisk said, "please, if you know anything at all, it would be a huge help. We want to find out the truth behind this."

Miller paused for some time. "There is one thing. We've interrogated those terrorists that abducted you. All their leader said about the SOUL was that it was given to them by a 'generous benefactor' who 'finally handed it over.'"

_Finally? Then, that means…_

"Melty was involved in Felicia's death," Chara said.

Miller couldn't help but snicker. "Melty? That's what you called him?"

"You know his real name?" Flowey asked.

Miller shook his head. "No, it was kind of hard to identify a puddle."

"Melty it is then!" Frisk said.

For a rare moment, Miller gave a lighthearted expression, but it faded as fast as it came. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "All these years, I thought a virus was responsible for Felicia's death. I never had any idea it was murder… Agh!" He furiously shook his fists. "They played us like a damn fiddle!"

"Hey, take it easy," Flowey said. "I'm not sure what fiddles have to do with this, but I know what it's like to lose someone."

Miller sighed. "I think deep down, I always knew there was more to it. Something always bothered me about Felicia's death. Something I've forgotten, yet  _can't_ forget. A phantom pain that won't go away. I know you can't forgive me after what I did, but I need to know who did this."

Flowey raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you won't try to kill my sister?"

"You're right. It won't bring Felicia back." He looked at Chara. "You used Felicia's death to save yourself, so at least promise me you'll bring her murderer to justice."

"I promise," Chara said.

"And that SOUL is all that's left of her, so, take care of her."

"I will."

Frisk held Miller's shoulder. "I forgive you." Of course he did, damn him.

"Can yous hate anyone, Frisk?" Miller asked. "I just assaulted your lover, and you're already forgiving me?"

Undyne gasped. "Wait, what?!"

"I admit, it wasn't easy," Frisk said. "I can't stand seeing Chara get hurt, but I can't blame you for wanting your friend back."

Miller frowned. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Frisk smiled. "I'm so proud of you! You've come such a long way from emotionless government bad guy!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Undyne got up. "Well, looks like we're done here."

"Are you all right, Undyne?" Frisk asked.

"Of course I'm all right! It'll take more than one hit to kill  _me_!" She smiled. "So, you and Chara, huh?"

Frisk smiled back. "Yep!"

Chara held his hand. "Yes, Frisk is so kind, forgiving, sweet, and handsome too!"

He blushed. "Oh, stop it!"

"I was so happy when he confessed to me!"

"Chara, I believe  _you_ confessed first!"

"Oh, come on, Frisk! 'I might start wanting a bit more?' That was as good a confession as any!"

"Yes,  _start_ wanting a bit more. I didn't say I wanted you  _now_!"

"Well, you certainly sounded  _very_ interested."

Frisk kissed her cheek. "Yes, I am."

Flowey wasn't even going to ruin this. He had to admit, they were cute together, but he wouldn't dare say it out loud.

"So romantic," Chara purred. "I'd kiss back, but…" She wiped some blood off her mouth.

Frisk summoned some monster chocolate from his dimensional box. "Here, this will help."

"Frisk, I love you." She immediately tore into the chocolate.

"I love you too, Chara," he replied warmly.

"You two really make me want to see Alphys again," Undyne said. "Hey, here's an idea! I'm starving! Why don't we all go out to Grillby's?"

"That sounds great!" Frisk exclaimed. "That is, if it's okay with you, Asriel. This is still your day."

"Well, you  _did_ do what I asked you," Flowey said. "I guess we can take a break now. We can discuss what we've learned there."

"A break? Well, if you insist," Sans said.

"It's settled then!" Undyne said. "Me, Alphys, Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and Sans to Grillby's!"

"Nate, want to join us?" Frisk asked. "You have to follow me anyway."

_Really, Frisk? Forgiving him is one thing, but inviting him to lunch?_

Miller shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

They started to leave. As they did, Sans grabbed Frisk's arm. Flowey listened closely.

"What is it, Sans?" Frisk asked.

"I hope you know what you're doing, kid," he whispered.

"What? Nate's cool. Well, you know, when his temper is in control."

"I wasn't talking about him."

Frisk was confused at first, then he looked slightly offended. "Chara's not a threat to anybody."

After an awkward pause, Sans laughed it off. "Hey, lighten up! You know I like to joke around!"

Yeah, that was not a joke, and Frisk knew it. Why did Sans like to be so creepy sometimes? Flowey never figured that one out.

Chara, who hadn't seemed to have overheard, ran to Frisk and tugged on his arm. "Come on, Frisk! Are you stopping to smell the flowers? Let's go!"

Frisk smiled. "Right behind you!"

After another day of almost dying, they went to Grillby's for a much-needed break.

* * *

"Hey!" Campbell called out. "Anybody? We're still stuck here."

"It's gotta wear off eventually," Clark said. "It wears off, right?"

Campbell sighed. "Help! We've fallen and we can't get up!"


	20. Burn in Despair

_I don't want to set the world on fire_

_I just want to start a flame in your heart_

_In my heart I have but one desire_

_And that one is you, no other will do_

What was with all this old music?

Flowey followed the others into Grillby's. He still felt like they were wasting time. For all they knew, Boaris could have been absorbing souls at that very moment. Hopefully, they could at least plan their next move while they were there, and maybe try to get more information out of Miller.

Sans walked to the bar. "Hey, Grillby. Your favorite song is playing."

As usual, Grillby said nothing and pretended to clean the counter.

"I know, right?" Sans said. "It's so insensitive. They got a problem with fire or something?"

Grillby remained silent.

Sans kept talking. "So, funny thing happened today. Frisk's bodyguard almost killed Chara. Something about bringing his friend back from the dead or whatever. He hurt Chara and Undyne pretty bad. I had to step in and calm him down. No big deal, though."

Not even that elicited words from Grillby, and Flowey knew he was capable of speech.

"No, Frisk is pretty much cool with it," Sans answered. "He even invited him to lunch with us. Say hello, Miller."

Unamused, Miller just grunted.

"Yes, he should watch his manners," Sans agreed. "Anyway, we'll all have burgers."

Grillby nodded and quickly got them their food. They went to an empty booth and sat down.

"So," Undyne said, "how's everyone doing?"

"It would not have been the first time I've died," Chara answered. "What about you? He hit you rather hard."

Alphys shot Miller an angry look.

"I told you, I'm fine!" Undyne exclaimed. "And I meant, how have you  _been_?"

"Oh, we're doing  _great_ ," Flowey sardonically said. "You know, aside from the fact that we're all screwed."

Chara sighed. "No, we have not been all right. I  _almost_ died, but Asriel  _did_ die."

"You haven't told me that," Miller said.

"Ah, yes," Chara said. "Miller, your evil sister killed Asriel."

"Hey, I know Nora can act a little… spirited, but she's not  _evil_."

"Oh, really? She killed Asriel and laughed about it. She even took a picture of his corpse! She is a sadistic psychopath."

Miller folded his arms. "Like how you poisoned Asgore and laughed about it?"

Chara winced. "I did not intend to poison my father."

"Then why laugh?"

"To be fair," Sans said, "it  _was_  a good pun. Buttercups, heh. Sounds like something I would do."

"Because that's just how Chara was," Flowey said. "She always told me that big kids don't cry. She couldn't cry, so she laughed."

Miller nodded. "Yeah, sure… I think Chara and my sister have more in common than you realize. I bet she said the same thing, didn't she?"

Flowey resisted the urge to strangle him. "My sister is nothing like your sister!"

"Oh? Sounds like I struck a nerve."

"Shut up!"

"Hey, no fighting!" Frisk exclaimed. "But Nate, Malcom and Boaris really are planning something horrible. Asriel, tell him what you saw."

Flowey laughed. "Oh, I'll tell you! I saw Malcom himself meet up with Boaris."

"And what were you doing there?" Miller asked. "I imagine it wasn't to join them for a friendly cup of tea."

"Irrelevant! So, as I was observing them, Malcom told Boaris that it was time to stop playing around and show everyone how strong monsters really are. He was just about to give him the details before Nora spotted me out of nowhere, despite my  _perfect_ stealth tactics!"

Miller scoffed. "Tactical espionage is clearly not your strong suit."

"What? My stealth skills are unmatched! I spied on Frisk through the entire underground and he had no idea!"

Frisk stifled a laugh.  _Oh, screw you!_

"Are you convinced yet?" Chara asked Miller. "Malcom made it perfectly clear. Left unchecked, he would allow Boaris to become as a god. This cannot continue."

"Why, Chara, I'd think you'd  _love_ this plan."

"Well, Malcom seems to love it," Flowey sniped.

Miller frowned. "I never thought he'd go this far. He's never been the same since Felicia died, none of us have, but this? This is madness."

"Glad you agree," Flower remarked.

"But," Miller said, "he's not wrong about how dangerous monsters are. They could kill us all if they wanted to. However, that's exactly why we can't antagonize them. Between our lack of mages, the invincible amalgamates, and people like Chara, another war couldn't possibly end well for us."

_And Sans. He could probably destroy humanity single-handedly, assuming he bothers to lift a finger._

"Damn right!" Undyne exclaimed. "We're not gonna give up the surface so easily this time! So Malcom better not try anything stupid!"

Miller stood up. "Look, I'll talk to Jacob. This must be some kind of misunderstanding. He can't really be planning what you think he is."

Flowey couldn't believe him. "You can't be serious. I know what I saw, and not even Frisk would be able to talk this guy down."

Miller sighed. "If it turns out you're right… I'll do everything I can to help you."

Chara was surprised. "Truly? You would betray your own friend?"

Miller nodded. "If what you say is true,  _he_  betrayed Felicia. She died because she believed in peace, and Jacob is spitting on her grave."

"And you do?" Chara asked. "You believe in peace?"

"I didn't," Miller admitted, "but now, it's the only choice we have."

That probably wasn't how Frisk wanted to win people over. He wanted to earn humanity's trust, not terrify them into submission with fear, but it seemed to do the trick for Miller. Whatever worked, right? That was Flowey's philosophy.

"…Nate," Chara said, "this may sound strange coming from someone you tried to kill recently, but… you're not so bad."

Miller laughed. "I'm in Chara's good graces? That's a high honor for a human, isn't it?"

Chara smiled. "Yes, you should be proud of it."

"Hmm… maybe you're not so bad as well." He started to walk away.

It was a crazy idea, but if Malcom was set on giving Boaris human souls, they didn't have much time. They needed to act now. Hopefully, Miller was just what they needed to catch Malcom off guard.

"All right," Flowey said. "Go try this your way, but don't come crying to me when it blows up in your face."

"But, Nate," Chara said, "if this turns violent, you might have to face Nora."

Miller sighed. "I know." His phone rang. "Speak of the devil." He picked up. "Sir?"

"Miller," Malcom said, "I need a situation report. Where is Frisk?"

"Frisk is currently at home," Miller falsely reported.

"Good, that's all. Malcom out–"

"Wait! Jacob, can we talk? In person?"

"…I'm afraid that's not possible."

Sweat trickled down Miller's brow. "Sir?"

"Agent Miller, are you certain that Frisk is home at this time?"

"O-of course, sir. I would never give you bad intel."

"…Yes, of course," Malcom responded. "You're a good solider, Nate. Your parents must be proud."

"Th-thank you, sir. Um, if I may ask, what do you need Frisk's location for?"

"Not your concern. In fact, I'm relieving you of your duty for the day."

"What?! Uh, I mean, understood, but I trust Frisk is secure?"

"Yes, don't worry, Nate. In the end, everything will be all right. Goodbye." Malcom hung up.

"Uh, yeah…" Flowey said. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that's bad."

"H-he isn't planning on hurting you, is he?" Alphys fretfully asked.

"If he is, joke's on him!" Undyne exclaimed. "He thinks you're… home…"

Chara gasped. "Mother!" She took out her phone and called Toriel.

Toriel answered. "Greetings, my child!"

"Mother, are you home?"

"Why, yes. I am home. Will you return soon?"

"Umm, yes. Could you pick us up? We are at Grillby's."

"Certainty! Just let me finish watering these flowers." Toriel sighed wistfully. "I am not nearly as talented at this as your father."

Chara grew urgent. "My apologizes, Mother, but I need you to leave the house as quickly as possible."

"Patience, my child! I am happy to assist you, but it is rude to–"

"Mother! The truth is, I do not feel it is safe for you to be home right now."

Toriel was shocked. "What? What danger could possibly befall our home?"

"I think… someone wants to hurt Frisk."

Toriel sighed. "Chara, I know Frisk was abducted once, but he must not allow it to take over his life. I am sorry, but I must say, you have always had difficulty trusting others. While it is important to avoid being naïve, it is also important to–"

"Please, Mother! Get out of there!"

"Chara…"

Frisk picked up the phone. "I think she's right. I would feel much better if you left home for now."

"What are you worried about, exactly?" Toriel asked.

"Umm… I think the President wants to kill me." Frisk cringed as he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

Toriel clearly thought they were crazy. "Umm… Well… Yes, that is troubling indeed. I shall make my way to Grillby's as swiftly as possible, all right?"

"Please do, Mother," Chara said.

"Be good, all right?" Toriel hung up.

Chara was still worried. "I hope she gets out safely."

"I hope she's right, though," Frisk said. "I hope we're just being paranoid."

Flowey wasn't counting on that.

A few moments later, Miller's phone rang again. He picked up. "Umm, sir?"

It wasn't Malcom. "Agent Miller, I sincerely wish you hadn't lied to us."

Boaris? Oh, no…

"This really complicates things for everyone," Boaris said. "I assume Frisk is nearby. Put him on, would you kindly?"

Miller complied. Frisk took the phone. "Hello?"

"Salutations, Frisk. Please meet us at your residence as soon as you are able."

Flowey took the phone. "How about no?"

"I was afraid you might say that," Boaris said. "I do hate to resort to such measures, but…"

Over the phone, they heard Toriel screaming.

Chara was filled with rage. "Let her go you bastard!"

"I do not wish to make Toriel suffer any more than necessary," Boaris said. "Simply arrive home, and she will be harmed no longer."

"Or…" Flowey said, "Frisk can, you know…"

Frisk nodded. "Right." He prepared to reset…

**LOAD FAILED**

Frisk grimaced. "I can't…"

_Damn it, no!_

Chara's eyes were filled with dread. "Frisk, you really can't…?"

Frisk shook his head. "I'm not in control anymore."

Chara started shaking. "N-no, he couldn't have…"

"Please don't keep us waiting." Boaris hung up. In a matter of minutes, Boaris had become a god.

Miller buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. It looks like you were right after all." He pulled out his radio, and he ordered his squad to lockdown Toriel's house and prepare for a hostage situation. Meanwhile, Flowey looked around to see how every else was handling this.

Alphys was covered in sweat. "H-how could Boaris do this?"

Undyne gritted her teeth and shouted obscenities. Sans just sat there in silence.

Chara took a deep breath. "We have to help Mother." She started to run, but Sans grabbed her arm.

"Kid, how do you plan on stopping a god?"

Chara struggled to break free. "We have to! We've done it before! We can–"

Sans violently threw Chara into the wall. Some bystanders gasped in shock, while others cheered.

"Sans, what the hell?!" Flowey shouted. He didn't understand. It took some serious effort to provoke Sans. Why was he attacking now?

Chara got back up and tried to run away. Sans sent a magic bone racing after her, and it went right through her knee. Chara fell down and cried out in pain. Her leg bled out on the wooden floor, as if she hadn't been hurt enough today, and damn all the people cheering Sans on. Too many people were thrilled to see Chara bleed.

Frisk grabbed him. "Sans, stop!"

Sans shoved Frisk away and walked over Chara. "You can't beat Boaris. You can't even beat me."

Chara looked up at Sans. Her red eyes glowed with anger, literally. Her eyes were  _glowing_. That was definitely  _not_  normal. "Is that a challenge?" she venomously said.

Sans hollowed out his eye sockets. "So, it is you."

Bystanders murmured all around the restaurant.

"What's wrong with her eyes?"

"God, she really is a demon."

"I could turn you to dust, Sans," Chara growled. "Get out of my way."

Flowey didn't know what Sans was talking about, but he knew fighting him was a bad idea. Well, he was far from invincible. After lots of resets and lots of patience, Flowey was able to kill Sans, but resets weren't a luxury they had anymore. Oh, and not to mention murder was wrong. Almost forgot.

Frisk jumped in-between Sans and Chara. "Sans! Chara! Both of you! This is  _not_ okay! Now is no time to fight each other! Toriel needs our help!"

"Don't get me wrong," Sans said. "I don't like this one bit, but the fact is, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Don't say that!" Frisk shouted. "We can't give up!"

Flowey scowled at Sans. "Yes, it's just like you to give up in the end. If you can't blast it away, your solution to every problem is literally nothing. You're pathetic, Sans."

Frisk gasped. "Asriel, that's a bit harsh, don't you think? He's not  _that_ lazy."

"Listen," Sans commanded, "I don't know exactly what Boaris is up to, but what I do know, is that he wants Frisk. So, the best thing we can do is not give him what he wants, capiche?"

Frisk shook his head. "No, I can't run and hide from this. I know the power of a monster with human SOULs, but I can't stand by and let him hurt Toriel."

Overhearing this, the bystanders immediately erupted with panic. Every one of them screamed and fled, leaving the restaurant nearly empty.

Chara got back on her feet and continued to glare at Sans. "How can you stand here and do nothing while he hurts Toriel? Do you not care about her? Are you truly content to remain idle while she suffers?"

"I thought she was your best friend," Flowey said. "I guess you really are just a worthless slacker."

Whatever emotion Sans was feeling, his perpetual smile poorly reflected it. "You know, it must be real nice, coming back from the dead. People would  _kill_ for that power, heh."

Flowey was confused. "Huh? What does that have to do with this?"

He sighed. "I tried so hard to fix it. I applied everything I knew, everything he had taught me. I tried everything, but it's impossible. There's no way the machine can be fixed. They're all gone forever. Nothing can save them."

Alphys whimpered sadly.

"Sans, what are you talking about?" Frisk asked.

"Ah, forget it," Sans said. "The point is, not everyone can be saved. It doesn't matter how hard you try. It doesn't matter how 'determined' you are. Some things are beyond our power. Sometimes, you just have to swallow your pride and give up."

Gee, Sans was a real ray of sunshine today.

"N-no…" Chara said. "That's… that's quitter talk! Sure, maybe we can't always bring back the dead, but Mother is  _not_ dead! We can still save her!"

Sans shrugged. "Chances are… Boaris will kill her as soon as you show up."

Frisk stepped towards him. "And if we don't?"

Sans didn't answer.

"They're right!" Undyne yelled. "We have to do  _something_!"

Even Flowey could tell that Sans was hiding great pain under his smile. "I… I don't want Frisk to get hurt," he said, "but I don't want Tori to get hurt, either."

"If we don't do something, more people than Toriel could die," Chara said.

Flowey knew how to push his buttons. "If we don't do something, Papyrus could die."

Sans sighed in defeat. "All right. If we're gonna do this, let's make it quick." He looked around the room. "Everyone who's coming, stay close to me." Flowey, Frisk, Chara, Undyne, Alphys, and Miller huddled up close to Sans.

"Alphys, you're  _not_ coming!" Undyne yelled.

"Y-yes, I am! I'm not letting you risk your life without me again!"

"You're not a fighter, Alphys!"

"I don't care!"

Undyne groaned. "Fine, but don't you dare die on me!"

"Ready?" Sans asked.

"As ready as we can be," Frisk answered.

Sans looked at Grillby. "Sorry we're letting the food cool again," he said, referencing the uneaten burgers on their table. "We'll come back another time, okay?"

Grillby nodded.

"You too," Sans replied. "Welp, here we go." Sans walked out of Grillby's, and just like that, they were in front of Toriel's house. Flowey felt like he was going to puke. He had never gotten used to Sans's teleportation powers.

"Take it slow," Miller warned. "When the enemy has a hostage, the last thing we want is–"

Chara sprinted straight for the front door. She opened it, and they all followed her inside to the foyer. Nothing was immediately out of the ordinary. The lights were on and the house was clean. They followed Chara into the dining room. Inside was Toriel, with burn marks on her face. Her wrists were strapped down to her reading chair by magical bindings. It was times like these where Flowey was glad he didn't have his soul.

"Mother!" Chara and Frisk both ran to her side. "Are you okay?" Chara asked.

Toriel groaned. "I am sorry for doubting you, my child."

"It's okay, Mother," Chara said. "Let's just get you out of here."

Frisk tried to undo the bindings, but the magic was too strong. His hands seemed to burn with intense heat on contact.

Chara looked around. "Boaris! Show yourself, you disgusting creature!"

Boaris appeared out of nowhere. Flowey could feel the power of seven human SOULs within him, but otherwise he looked normal. "So, you–"

Sans surrounded him with all his blasters and wasted no time firing, but like he said, it was futile. Boaris's body absorbed the deadly beams, leaving him without a scratch.

"Welp, I tried," Sans said. "Now it's time for Plan B. Just like the flower said, it's literally nothing."

"How?" Chara asked. "How did you get those SOULs?"

"It was simple, really," Boaris answered. "After I absorbed Mr. Malcom's SOUL, obtaining the remaining six required was trivial. I'm afraid that his security forces were no match for me."

Frisk whimpered. "Why? What could possibly be worth killing those people?"

Chara clenched her fists. "You branded me a demon for what I did to Asriel, but now here you stand, guilty of the same sin you condemned me for. How can you go against your own word so easily? Do you not feel any shame for what you've done?"

"Chara…" Boaris said, "the truth is, I bear no ill-will against you."

Chara gasped. "What?"

"You were right, Chara. Humans and monster cannot be trusted to live peacefully. As I shall soon demonstrate, our power is far too dangerous. There is room for only one race on the surface. However, I will not commit genocide against either race. There is only one solution: we must go back where we belong. We must once again be sealed underground."

Chara shook her head. "No! I was wrong! Humanity has changed! It will  _not_  end up like last time!"

"It is possible," Boaris admitted, "but is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Chara lowered her head in shame. "I once said the same thing. When we arrived at my old village, I told Asriel that we could not take the risk of making peace with humanity. How did we know they would not just wipe us out again? I was not willing to risk my family's future over humanity. So, I tried to make my brother wage war against the entire race."

She took a deep breath. "However, I've learned that some risks are worth taking. Climbing a mountain, joining a new family, admitting my feelings to the person I love, these are all risks I have taken. It's true that a lot of terrible things happened as a result of my decisions, but I've also gained so many priceless memories from them. Toriel, Asgore, Asriel… Frisk. They have all shown me so much kindness. So, for them, I'll take the risk of trusting humanity, and I shall face the consequences."

Frisk swooned. "Oh, Chara…"

"Uh… hey, Chara?" Flowey said. "I see you're really pushing for that Academy Award, but I don't see how this is helping."

"Indeed," Boaris said. "It matters not what pretty words you devise to stop me. I shall not be swayed. I've witnessed how the first war started. My own child was responsible for it. Yet, even if it were not for my daughter, I am sure it was only a matter of time until some other monster absorbed a human SOUL." Boaris floated into the air. "Now, allow me to show you exactly what we monsters are capable of."

He started with Sans. With a flick of his wrist, Boaris tore Sans in half with pure magical energy. Ketchup sprayed across the room, and Sans immediately turned to dust.

"SANS!" Frisk screamed.

"Die!" Undyne threw her spears at Boaris like a machine gun, but of course, they were powerless against Boaris's infinite defense. Boaris summoned his axe in his right hand and vertically sliced Undyne in half. As Alphys screamed, Boaris swung his axe again and chopped Alphys's head off. Undyne and Alphys both turned to dust. Miller raised his pistol and pointlessly fired. Boaris held out his hand, and Miller was engulfed in flames. He screamed, and soon, his yellow SOUL hovered over his charred corpse. Boaris absorbed it.

Frisk, Chara, Toriel, and Flowey could only watch in horror as the scene played out.

"P-please," Toriel whimpered, "at the very least, do not harm my children."

Boaris floated next to Toriel and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Do not worry. They will not be harmed."

Boaris lodged his axe inside Toriel's head. She took one final look at her children before she turned to dust. As she did, her gray SOUL floated into the air. With a swing of his axe, Boaris destroyed it.

Frisk prostrated himself on the floor and sobbed. Flowey just sat there, unsure how to feel. Chara stared at Boaris with a mix of sorrow and contempt in her eyes. "Why are you sparing us? At this point, killing us is the act of mercy."

Boaris nodded. "It is, and I am truly sorry that I cannot even grant you that."

"Wh-what do you want with us?" Frisk asked.

"The three of you are to be my witnesses, the few who will truly remember the tragedy that will have been. I must send you somewhere safe while I… do what must be done."

"Y-you're going to make us watch?" Chara asked. "Is there no end to your cruelty?"

"It  _will_  pass," Boaris promised. "In time."

Boaris casted a spell. Flowey, Frisk, and Chara were teleported to another place. They were in a mysterious room with purple walls and a blue floor. Inside the room was some rope, some fabric, a jigsaw puzzle, a refrigerator, an old computer, and a familiar white dog fast asleep on the floor.

"Wh-where are we?" Frisk asked.

Flowey noticed that the door looked familiar. A wooden, purple door with the delta rune on it. It was the other side of that door Flowey never could get past. "We're underground, near Snowdin."

Chara's face flashed with recognition. "Oh, you're right. We never could open this door. They say it's sealed by another barrier." She looked at the dog. "But, how did he get here?"

"I think we have bigger things to worry about," Flowey said.

Chara frowned. "Right." A tear ran down her cheek. "Mother…"

The computer screen turned on. It displayed a live feed of Ebott City's sprawling skyline, with Boaris hovering over it. He expanded his body, to the point where the entire city was looking at him. Boaris stretched out his hands…

…And the whole city caught fire.

Chara's whole body was shaking. "W-well, I guess you could say he has a  _burning_ ambition."

"Really, Chara?!" Flowey shouted. "Now is NOT the time for puns!"

She was barley keeping it together. "Wh-what? I'm a funny girl. Besides, it's not like I like humans or anything. Wh-why would I care if Boaris kills a few…"

But, it wasn't just humans Boaris was attacking. His flames spread throughout the city indiscriminately. Humans and monsters alike were caught in the raging inferno. The screen changed angles to show their horrified faces and cries of agony as they burned. It was like watching some kind of sick and twisted Anime. Dust and burnt corpses piled up on the streets. Flowey thought he was sadistic enough, but this was on a whole other level. Why was Boaris killing them in such a needlessly cruel manner? Why didn't he just nuke the city with a giant energy beam or something?

"I can't watch this," Frisk muttered. "Yet, I can't  _stop_ watching. How could anyone do something so horrible?"

"N-not even I would have done  _this_ ," Chara said. "If I had my way, I would have made it as quick as possible. I wouldn't have made them suffer like this."

Flowey didn't understand. Boaris said he didn't want to commit genocide against either race, so what the hell did he call  _this_? If nothing else, he was definitely getting his point across. Flowey could see the regret in the humans' dying eyes, regret for allowing the barrier to be broken. They were all at Boaris's mercy, and he had none to give.

The monsters didn't know what to think. This power was universally hated by monsterkind. They couldn't fathom how any monster could do such a thing. They could probably understand him using it against humanity, but them? They couldn't understand. Flowey saw so many familiar faces in pain. Monster Kid, Muffet, the River Person, Lesser Dog, Greater Dog, Bratty, Catty… Papyrus.

"Sans, where are you?" Papyrus called out. "Don't tell me you're sleeping through  _this_! We need to –"

Papyrus went up in flames. He died calling for his brother.

Frisk laid down on the ground, mortified beyond tears. It seemed that the world had become a toy for Boaris to manipulate as he pleased.

"Wait," Chara said, "there are safeguards against this, no? In the event of an atrocity such as this, the Human-Monster Embassy agreed that another monster shall be given human SOULs to combat the threat. Boaris was the first, but he is not the only one."

Maybe there was hope after all. "Ah, that's right!" Flowey said. "But, who _is_  next in line?"

A glimmer of hope sparkled in Frisk's eyes. "A true hero."

It wasn't much longer until he appeared. Through the rising flames, a monster of Boaris's size approached. He had green skin, was wearing some kind of armored shell, and one of his yellow eyes was missing. In his hands was a massive golden war hammer that looked like a fine match for Boaris's battle axe.

_No way, that old fool?_

Before Boaris stood Gerson, the Hammer of Justice.

* * *

_Ugh… wh-where am I?_

Nate struggled to assess his surroundings, but all he could see was blackness. He couldn't feel his body. What happened to him?

Right, Boaris...

Nate tried to move, but there was nothing but darkness around him. Yet, he knew he was  _somewhere_. He was thinking, so he wasn't in oblivion. Boaris had absorbed his soul, hadn't he? Was he being used as a power source for that madman? Nate would have preferred humanity's worst interpretations of hell over that.

Eventually, Nate felt other presences nearby. Glowing in the void, he saw the seven other SOULs that Boaris had absorbed. One of the SOULs, a purple SOUL, floated close to him, and he heard a familiar voice.

"Brother…?"

"Nora?"

From her soul, a projection of Nora appeared, and Nate felt his own soul create a projection of himself. He knew his body wasn't real, yet it still felt real. Nate looked at Nora. At first, he was overjoyed to see his sister, but…

Nora frowned. "Nate, I…"

"Nora…" Nate breathed. "You knew this was coming, didn't you? You let this happen."

She nodded pitifully.

Nate grew angry. "Why?!"

"You heard what Boaris said. As we speak, he is showing everyone exactly why the monsters never should have left the underground."

Another light filled the void. Nate turned and saw a sort of window – for lack of a better term – into the real world. It was unspeakably terrible. Through Boaris's eyes, he saw Ebott City burning in flames.

Nate couldn't believe this. "What kind of twisted logic is this? You're afraid of a monster absorbing human souls, so you let a monster absorb human souls? What were you thinking?!"

Anger welled up in Nora's purple eyes. "How else are we going to make them understand?! Those arrogant monsters believe their souls are  _made_  of love and compassion, but humans? No, it was humans, not monsters, who have proven their souls don't need these things to exist. They think they're better than us. They say that  _we_ are the only threat to this world. And the worst part? So many humans believe them! Where was all that love and compassion when they declared war on all of humanity? We've seen them hate. We've seen them spite. We've seen them kill. Despite this, they want you to believe that every single one of them is an innocent cinnamon roll who would never dare seek power. Even that is true today, how do we know that not a single one of their children will turn out to be – perhaps literally – a sick dog that needs to be put down?"

Nate never realized just how strongly Nora felt about all this.

"But, what if Boaris is the sick dog?" Nate asked.

"…Then, let him burn this worthless world to ash."

"N-Nora! You can't mean that!"

Nora clutched her heart. "I… I don't like this plan anymore. Haha, pathetic, isn't it? What right do I have to complain? Like you said, I knew exactly what I was getting into. It wasn't until I saw you die when I realized what a mistake all this was. But, I guess it's a little late to say 'sorry,' isn't it?"

For a while, Nate was unsure how to feel. Part of him said Nora was right.; he couldn't just forgive her so easily. The rest of him, however, was screaming at him to comfort her.

The former part won. "When I died, huh?" He pointed at the burning city. "You had no problem with this, but  _my_ death is where you draw the line?"

"I mean, I never  _liked_ this plan," Nora said. "We both know a monster with human souls is the last thing I'd want, but that's exactly why we had to show them. Everyone needs to experience what will happen if we don't do something about these monsters."

"Nora, I understand that you're afraid of them, but… this is too much. This is insane."

Nora laughed. "Yeah, that's me. I'm insane. Jacob told me how much I enjoyed killing Asriel, so why am I not enjoying this? One person, one thousand, one million, what's the difference? I'm a killer either way."

He could relate. In his service, he had killed several terrorists and outlaws. He didn't enjoy it as much as Nora, but he couldn't say he didn't feel a sense of satisfaction and pride when he eliminated an enemy. And the more he killed, the easier it became.

Nate realized something. "But, you killed Asriel knowing Frisk would reset, right?"

"What does it matter? I enjoy killing. I know I shouldn't, but I do. That feeling of power is irresistible to me. I have no problem destroying my enemies, so why…" She sobbed. "Why should destroying the world be any different?"

"Wait, the  _whole world?!_ "

Nora sniffled. "Not permanently, but yes. Boaris is going to kill every last person on Earth, human and monster. Well,  _almost_ everyone. He's going to destroy almost everyone in the world, just to prove a point." She laughed. "Do you think that's going too far?"

"Umm… yeah. I'd say that's going  _way_ too far."

Nora nodded. "There is something else that's gotten to my head. Chara… I could see it in her eyes; she really does believe in peace now. Haha, I thought we were two sides of the same coin, but it turns out I was wrong. She's changed. I… I guess even a demon can be a better person than me."

"Nora…"

She wiped her eyes. "N-no, I won't…"

Nate hugged her, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let it out, Nora."

Her magical tears fell and shattered across the void. "I'm so sorry. If such a place exists, I know I'm going to hell for this."

"…Hey," Nate said. "I can't blame you for being scared. In your defense…" He took another look at the real world. "Monsters  _are_ god damn terrifying."

"Haha… don't pull a Frisk on me. Reset or no reset, you can't possibly forgive me for letting you burn to death."

Nate smiled. "Maybe the world would be better if more people were like Frisk, or maybe they'd just get taken advantage of. I don't know."

Nora smiled back. "I always hated the World Master thing, but I wish we could just go back to playing in that field with Jacob and Felicia, long before all this happened."

"Me too, Nora."

Nora let go, and another familiar voice spoke to them. "Well, isn't this touching."

Nate turned to face him. "Jacob, we need to stop this, now."

Jacob glared at him with his red eyes. "No, we can't stop."

Nate shook his fist at him. "Do you feel no regret for this?!"

"It  _is_ unfortunate," Jacob said, "but no. I feel no remorse for doing what must be done." He looked at Nora. "I'm not surprised about Nate, but I never realized  _you_ would change your mind so easily."

"I take it back," Nora said. "I just want to go back to playing in that field with my brother and Felicia.  _You_ can rot in this void for all eternity."

"Now that's not very fair. Not even an hour ago, you were on my side."

Nora shrugged. "What can I say? Life  _isn't_  fair."

"I like to think there is  _some_ form of karma in this world," Jacob said.

"Uh-huh…" Nate said. "Then, why are you letting Boaris burn it? I doubt that'll get you good karma."

"Because if he doesn't, another monster may one day burn it for real."

Nate was disgusted. "You're not the solution; you're the problem. What would your sister think of you now?"

"It doesn't matter," Jacob countered. "She's dead now. She  _had_ to die."

Nate's yellow eyes widened. "Jacob… don't tell me you…"

Jacob shook his head. "No, but I know she wouldn't have just let a mere virus kill her. I can only assume she allowed herself to die because she realized how wrong she was."

Nate considered telling him what he learned, but… he decided it was best not to give away Chara's secret until she was ready.

"How can you say that?" Nora asked. "She was your sister! Felicia and I didn't exactly agree on everything, but we were friends! I never wished death upon her!"

"Felicia had to die," Jacob repeated.

Nate tried to punch him, but for some strange law of magic, his fist just flew through the void.

"Wow, he  _really_ wants to hurt you, Jacob," Nora said. "He's not quite at 'murder' level, but it's about as close as you can get."

What was wrong with Jacob? How could he treat Felicia's death so lightly? How could he treat  _all_ of this so lightly? Nate tried to hit him again, but it was just as useless as the first attempt. "Maybe  _you're_ the one who needs to die," he spat.

"Okay, yeah," Nora said. "Now he definitely wants to kill you."

Jacob sighed. 'Those kids have really gotten under your skin, haven't they? It doesn't matter what idealistic nonsense they spit out. We sealed these monsters away for a reason, and if it weren't for those eight idiots, everything would be just fine. But no, everyone clearly needs to be reminded why they can't be allowed anywhere near humans."

In the outside world, another giant monster approached Boaris. It was some kind of turtle, armed with a large golden hammer.

"That is the world's only remaining hope," Jacob said. "To be honest, I have no idea what's about to happen. They say a monster with seven human SOULs has infinite power, so what happens when infinity clashes with infinity? Let us watch and find out."

They silently watched a battle among gods.

* * *

His hammer in hand, Gerson faced his old friend.

The scene was even worse than the war. Gerson was surrounded by flames and death. Once proud buildings were crumbling. He could barely see through all the smoke. It was as if hell itself had been brought to the surface, and Boaris was the fallen angel who summoned it.

Gerson laughed. "So, Boaris… finally making good on all those rants about humanity, eh?" Damn, the whole city was burning, and he was still cracking jokes? People always said he had a sass problem.

"Gerson…" Boaris said, "why do you stand against me? You always said that if we ever escaped the underground, the humans would just kill us."

"Doesn't mean we should lower ourselves to their level," Gerson replied, "and it sure as hell doesn't justify killing your own kind!"

"Gerson, I fight to bring us all back to the underground, back where we belong. You know that is our rightful place. When Asgore announced his desire to return to the surface, you felt betrayed that he changed his mind. So, what changed yours?"

"Well…"

"And please," Boaris said, "don't say it was Frisk."

"The kid changed your mind, didn't he?" Gerson said. "Go back to the underground? That's a lot different from how you used to feel. As in, the exact opposite."

"The boy's dreams are admirable, but impossible," Boaris said. "There is no future for us here. You've seen this yourself. If we stay here, you know how it'll end for us."

"Hey, when you get as old as we are, you learn a lot about history, and you should know that history doesn't  _always_ repeat itself."

Boaris brandished his axe. "That's not good enough. There is only one way I can be convinced. Defeat me in battle, old friend. Prove that this can be stopped."

Gerson chuckled. "Well, I'll give it my best shot! Don't expect me to go easy on you!"

Boaris swung straight for his neck. Gerson ducked his head under his shell, swung his hammer, and landed a solid blow on Boaris's side. He stepped away and grunted in pain.

"Wahaha!" Gerson laughed. "Boaris, do you not remember any of the battles we fought together?"

Boaris sheathed his axe and ripped a steel beam off of a nearby building. He sharpened one end and threw it at Gerson like a spear. It went right through his shell and his chest. Gerson gargled. Was it over already?

No, Gerson pulled the hot metal out of him. It hurt like hell, but his wound healed quickly. Even the crack in his shell disappeared. Determination really was something. He felt young again!

Gerson raised his hammer high and hit Boaris right on top of his head. Stunned from the blow, Gerson followed up with a swing to the side of his head and knocked Boaris down. He fell over against a tall building, causing it to tip over into another building. They fell like dominos.

_Aw, hell. There were people in those, huh?_

Boaris soon got back on his feet. Gerson clutched his hammer. Boaris clutched his axe, and they traded blows. They both felt the pain of each strike, but neither of them seemed to be sustaining any permanent damage. Their determination healed their wounds as fast as they could inflict them.

Boaris parried a strike from Gerson and pushed him back. "I'm starting to think this will never end," Boaris said.

"Hmph, keep telling yourself that," Gerson retorted.

Boaris dropped his axe on the ground and spread out his arms. "Then have at it, Hammer of Justice. Kill me if you can."

Gerson had been through a lot with Boaris. He almost felt bad attacking him like this.

Almost.

With his infinite might, Gerson swung his axe at Boaris's legs and swept him to the ground. He raised his hammer and brought it down right on Boaris's neck. He heard the crunchy sound of his bones breaking. Certainly, that should have been a fatal blow.

But, it wasn't. Just moments after, Boaris's neck healed. A grimace on his face, Gerson picked up Boaris's axe and chopped his head clean off.  _That_ should have done it, right? Gerson watched Boaris's head turn to dust. Yes! It sucked for Boaris, but Gerson knew that not even the power of seven human SOULs could make a monster invincible!

Boaris's head regenerated on his body.

_Well, then…_

Boaris grunted. "Nngh… I must say, decapitation is not a pleasant experience. However, I am certain you can do better. Come now, Gerson. You are no longer a mere turtle. You are a god. Stop thinking of combat in your old mortal ways. Unleash your true power."

Gerson channeled his magical energy. Damn, it was  _so much_ more powerful than before. It really did feel infinite. With the power of these SOULs, Gerson felt like he could do anything.

Gerson called forth as much energy as he could. From the heavens, he sent a deadly beam of pure energy crashing down on Boaris. The boar's entire body was destroyed, leaving behind a sphere of pulsating white light. His SOUL, protected by a brilliant white barrier, floated above a massive crater created by Gerson's attack.

Gerson attacked the SOUL with as much force as his determination allowed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a dent in the glowing white ball. He felt himself grow tired, from frustration as much as fatigue. He stopped to catch his breath, and Boaris's entire body regenerated.

Boaris stared pensively into space. "Hmm… it appears my worst fears have been realized. There is no way for us to be destroyed, unless we allow it. As long as we are determined to live, we cannot be killed."

No, there… there had to be a way! There was no such thing as an unstoppable force in this world. Everything could be moved, if only given the right push.

Gerson tried again. He sent down another beam of energy, instantly destroying Boaris's body, but his SOUL remained intact. Gerson focused all his determination on one thing: destroying Boaris's SOUL.

* * *

Gerson collapsed.

How long had he been at it? Hours? Days? He could no longer tell.

In a matter of seconds, Boaris's body regenerated. "Impressive. Even for a god, 102 hours of uninterrupted, intense conciseness must be no easy feat."

Gerson laughed humorlessly. "Not even a week, huh? I'm disappointed in myself."

"It's a good thing you didn't take any longer. I can hardly imagine how dreadfully bored Frisk and his friends must be."

Gerson felt his godlike SOUL sink. "What have you done with Frisk?"

"I sent him somewhere safe," Boaris answered. "and yes, I am aware this is no mercy. Frisk, Chara, and Asriel will be among the few unfortunate witnesses burdened with the full memory of what happened here."

Gerson was disgusted beyond words. "You have lost your mind, Boaris."

Boaris folded his giant arms. "I'm the only monster making any sense."

Boaris had always been stubborn. Gerson knew there was no point trying to argue with him further.

"So, what will it be, Gerson?" Boaris asked. "You may try once more to slay me, but I think we both know that's not going to happen. You may watch as I burn the rest of this world, or if you allow it, I can end your suffering here. When you awaken, everything will as it was before, with a few key exceptions."

He was right. They could fight each other. They could hurt each other, but they could not kill each other. At least, not before Boaris took the whole world with him.

Gerson sighed. "Just end me, Boaris. If I can't kill you, at least let me prove that  _I_ can be killed."

"Very well."

Boaris immolated Gerson with a beam of energy similar to the one he used. Gerson felt his entire body melt away, and he felt the energy crash against his SOUL. Gerson had no desire to remain in Boaris's hell, so he let the barrier surrounding his SOUL fall apart. As it shattered, Gerson's greatest regret was how much he must have disappointed Frisk and the others. They must have seen him as their last hope, their hero, but alas, he was no hero.

Never was.

* * *

"NO!" Chara screamed.

All Frisk could do was watch as Gerson let his SOUL shatter. If he couldn't stop Boaris, nothing could.

Chara sobbed. "That's it. I… I can't watch anymore."

Frisk's first instinct was to comfort her, but what could he say? What could he say when the whole world was burning before their eyes? There was nothing to be said. There was no bright side to look on. Everyone was dying, and there was nothing they could do.

Chara stared at him intensely. "Frisk… give me my knife."

He shook his head. Chara and Asriel were all he had left. No matter how much they wanted, he couldn't let them…

Chara lunged at him. Frisk tried to stop her, but he was too late. Chara grabbed the knife and shoved Frisk away. She pointed the knife at her heart.

"Wait!" Asriel said. "Boaris said this will all be reset. He's obviously keeping us here for a reason. I think he wants Frisk to reset all this when he's done, so we have to pull through this."

After a tense pause, Chara lowered the knife. "Yes, your right." She sniffled. "I'm so sorry. I've always been such a coward."

"Chara, don't feel bad," Asriel said. "The same thought crossed my mind a while ago."

It was a small thing, but maybe there  _was_ one silver lining. "Hey," Frisk said. "I know this is bad. Like, as bad as it could possibly get, but at least we're suffering together, right?"

Chara laughed sadly. "Yes, I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the end of the world with."

"I never thought I'd say this," Asriel said, "but can we go back to you and Chara dating? That's  _much_  better than this."

Frisk laughed. "Yeah, I wish we could. I wish we could all just live our lives now." He felt something stir within his soul. "Why do they have to do this?" he asked. "Why do they have to fight?" His breaths grew heavy. "Have I not been through enough?! Why can't they just leave me alone?! Why can't they just let me live my life?! Why can't they just  _let me be happy?!_ "

Asriel was startled. "Whoa, Frisk…"

Frisk caught his breath and sat down. "Sorry…"

Asriel laughed. "You have nothing to apologize for. I just didn't think you had that in you. You can be so kind and forgiving that it gets irritating, so it's actually nice to see you get angry for once."

"Haha, you're welcome, I guess?"

Chara sat down next to him. "You're right, Frisk. You've seen more than your share of hardship, and you're the last person who deserves it. If we somehow manage to defeat Malcom, Boaris, and Nora, I swear I'll make all of your suffering worth it. I'll make you the happiest damn person in the world."

Even during this hellish time, Chara warmed Frisk's heart. "Who would have thought you'd be such a romantic?"

Chara smiled. "Not me, that's for sure." She looked at Asriel. "And don't think I forgot about you. Someday, I'm going to rip Boaris's SOUL from his chest and hand it to you on a silver plate, and we'll all be a happy family again."

Asriel smiled. "Heh, that's my sister."

A bright flash flared on the computer screen. With Gerson dead, the humans tried dropping a nuke on Boaris. A mushroom cloud towered over the city. When it faded, Ebott City was completely reduced to a smoldering ruin, and Boaris was still standing.

"There's really nothing that can stop him?" Frisk asked.

Chara shook her head. "He has infinite attack and infinite defense. As long as he stays determined, nothing can destroy him."

His work done in Ebott City, Boaris flew away and moved on to the next.

* * *

About a week later, Boaris was almost finished. He just had a few rural settlements left.

Frisk really hoped he'd let them out soon. The pile of excrement in the corner was getting big. It did  _not_  smell very nice. Boaris had given them a refrigerator stocked with plenty of food, so where was the bathroom?

Frisk sighed. He felt guilty for worrying about such trivial matters when everyone else was dead or dying. Everyone was being burned to death, and Frisk was complaining about a smelly room. Had watching so much death made Frisk insensitive to it? Well, at least it was almost over.

Frisk stepped over the dog – who had turned to stone for some reason – and opened the fridge. He took out a bar of chocolate and gave it to Chara. "Here, a little 'almost done' celebration."

"Yay!" Chara sarcastically exclaimed. "Boaris is almost done murdering everyone ever! I'm  _so_ happy!"

Frisk frowned. "Sorry, I just wanted to–"

Chara sighed. "Sorry, Frisk. I know you're trying to help."

"No, you're right. This is nothing to celebrate. That was so disrespectful. I'm sorry."

"Frisk…" She took the chocolate. "Thank you."

"…You're welcome."

Chara ate the chocolate. A while later, Boaris finally appeared before them. They stared at each other in silence.

"So," Boaris eventually said, "how are you all–"

Chara charged straight at him and furiously swung her knife. Her red eyes glowed brightly. She knew better than anyone that she couldn't kill Boaris, but she kept attacking anyway. Chara cried out viciously and sliced away at his entire body. Boaris actually appeared to get hurt, but despite all her anger, Chara couldn't even expose his SOUL, let alone damage it.

"You're supposed to be better than this!" Chara screamed. "Monsters don't do this! Monsters aren't like humans! They don't fight each other! They don't kill each other! They don't try to control each other! They don't… they don't…" Chara attacks slowed down to a crawl. "They don't want power…"

"It is understandable that you are upset," Boaris said. "I would be worried if you weren't."

"How could you?" Chara asked.

Boaris closed his eyes. "That's a good question."

"You just… destroyed the world," Frisk said. "You know that, right?"

"I didn't want to destroy the world," he said. "I just wanted everyone to know that I could."

"I'm not really sure if I can take the moral high ground here," Asriel said, "but… you deserve to burn. A taste of your own medicine."

"Rest assured, I will be brought to justice," Boaris said. "Regardless, I stand firm in my belief that I have done the right thing."

"I don't understand," Frisk said. "If you want to reset, then what was the point?"

"Granted, most people won't recall this  _perfectly_ ," Boaris said, "but resets are a curious thing. The memories don't wash away completely. I imagine that the unspeakable things I've done won't be so easily forgotten. When you reset, monsters won't be loved nearly as much as before. Hopefully, it won't be long until they are sent back underground, where it's safe for everyone."

"What I don't get," Asriel said, "is why you don't just use those god powers of yours to force us all back down here."

"Yes, that is a possibility," Boaris said. "The problem is that it would be a short-term solution. In that scenario, the humans would just free the monsters again. Yes, I could hold on to my power and ensure they remain sealed away, but… I'd rather not keep these souls inside me. My aim is to destroy this power once and for all. Not even I can be trusted with it."

" _Especially_ not you," Chara sniped.

Boaris nodded solemnly. "I suppose you wish to be rid of my presence as soon as possible. I won't keep you. Frisk, you may now have your power back. I left your SAVE files intact. I shall leave it to you to load them." He frowned. "Frisk, Chara, Asriel… I know you won't believe this, but I truly wish you all the best. Farewell."

Boaris took his axe and plunged it into his SOUL. His body turned to dust, and the eight human SOULs shattered.

"Well," Asriel said, "isn't he the most polite mass murderer you've ever met?"

"No point staying here," Chara said. "We may be playing into their hands, but we have no choice. Let us reset, Frisk."

Frisk often felt guilty when he reset; this was not one of those times.

* * *

It was finally over.

Nate saw Boaris teleport to Frisk, Chara, and Asriel. As Nora had promised, everything was going back to normal. Frisk would reset, and he'd wake up and…

Wait…

He was going to forget all this, wasn't he?  _Nora_  was going to forget all this.

As she reached the same conclusion, Nora's eyes were filled with despair. "Nate, I'm not going to…"

"I know."

Nora frowned. "I don't want to forget this. I'll go back to believing this was the right thing to do. I'll fight to support Jacob. And… you won't, will you? You will fight to stop us. You will fight to stop me."

Nate nodded. "Yeah, as soon as I learned about this, I knew it was wrong."

Nora hugged him. "I apologize in advance for whatever I do. No matter what happens, I… Uh…"

Their heartfelt moment was interrupted by Chara hacking away at Boaris and screaming at the top of her lungs.

Nora scoffed. "What does she expect to do with that tiny knife? Now, if she had a nice and long sword, then we'd be in business."

"Um, Nora, not even nukes can stop this guy."

Nora sighed. "If only I could forge a blade capable of piercing this beast's SOUL. I'd call it…  _Boarisbane_."

"Heh, that's a little on-the-nose, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I suppose a sword capable of slaying gods would need a better name than that."

Nate watched Boaris speak to the kids. Poor things. They were going to remember all of this.

"Anyway," Nora said, "before everything resets, I just wanted to say that I… Oh, God, what's he doing?"

Nate's eyes widened. Boaris was about to…

"Brother! I think we're about to get the axe!"

"Nora! Are you seriously going to die with a p–"

Their SOULs shattered.

**FILE LOADED**

* * *

**Lyric Credits:**

**Song: "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire"**

**Artist: The Ink Spots**


	21. Inhuman

As if it were all just a bad dream, Chara found herself back at Grillby's with Frisk, Flowey, and everyone else. Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Nate… they were all alive again. They were all sitting at their table, unaware of what had happened.

"So," Undyne said, "how's everyone – whoa, are you guys all right?"

Chara, Frisk, and even Flowey looked like death.

"H-hey…" Undyne stuttered, "what's wrong?"

Chara thought about telling her that she saw everyone die, but that would have been creepy.

"Hmm…" Sans hummed. "Looks like the three of you know something we don't."

Frisk nodded. "Y-yes, I had to reset. Something awful happened."

"The  _worst_  happened," Chara said.

"Meaning?" Nate asked.

"So, uh, yeah…" Flowey said. "That plan of Malcom's we just told you about? The one about giving Boaris human souls and going on a rampage? Well…"

Undyne gasped. "No way…"

"Y-you mean… it happened?" Nate asked.

Frisk whimpered. "Y-yes."

"How bad?" Undyne asked.

"E-everything," Frisk muttered. "He destroyed everything."

Everyone was silent as they processed what Frisk said.

"W-wow…" Undyne said quietly. "So, what now?"

"I imagine we have a broadcast from Malcom coming," Flowey said. "Any minute now."

Flowey was as keen as always. Just a minute later, the restaurant's monitors were taken over by a special address from President Malcom.

Malcom's expression was just as miserable as theirs. "Everyone," he said, "I have terrible news. There has been a large reset recently, and for good reason. I regret to inform all of you that the worst has happened. Before the reset, our world was destroyed by a monster with human souls."

The whole restaurant whispered in shock. Yet, as insane as it sounded, they knew Malcom was telling the truth. Deep in their souls, they could still feel the horrors Boaris had unleashed.

Malcom let out a pained breath. "The monster was none other than Boaris. It all happened so fast. It started like any other day. I met him in my office for a routine meeting, and while my guard was down, the beast grabbed me by the neck and snapped it. He wasted no time absorbing my SOUL. My security team tried to stop him, but there was nothing they could do. Boaris killed them all. Even…" he sobbed, "e-even Nora, who I have been friends with sense we were kids. I could only watch as Boaris  _tore her apart_ limb from limb!" He broke into tears.

Chara was filled with more rage than words could express. He  _told_ Boaris to kill him, and he couldn't even accept responsibility for it. Typical politician, a corrupt megalomaniac with no integrity. How had humanity come to be represented by the worst of humanity?

"R-rest assured, Boaris has already been detained," Malcom said through his fake tears. "I can hardly speak of the things he did. The entire world was up in flames, and that is  _not_ a figure of speech. So many people burned in his fire, and not just humans, but monsters as well. I'm sorry, I can only imagine what it feels like to burn to death. I am so ashamed that my SOUL was used to make this happen."

Chara screamed at the monitor. "You liar! You  _wanted_ this! If you're going to destroy the world, at least have some fucking dignity about it!"

"The Sentry Program was a bust," Malcom went on. "Gerson tried his best, but there was nothing that could stop Boaris. Guns, nukes, nothing. The entire world was consumed. It is a miracle that, for whatever reason, he preserved Frisk's life so he could reset afterwards. We shall interrogate him to try and understand this monster's motive, but if you ask me, he was just a sick animal who wanted to watch the world burn."

Malcom went on in graphic detail about how Boaris destroyed the world. Chara ceased listening.

The effects were immediate. All the humans in the restaurant suddenly felt uncomfortable in the monster-run establishment. Soon, Frisk and Nate were the only humans left inside.

Chara clawed against the table. "That man is everything I hate about humanity."

Frisk held her shoulder. "Chara…"

"He needs to die," Chara growled. "Him, Boaris, Nora, they all need to die."

"Ch-Chara," Flowey stammered, "I agree, but… you need to calm down."

"Why?!" Chara shouted. "Malcom destroyed the world and refused the consequences, and you're asking me to  _calm down?!_ "

"Oh my God…" Alphys whispered.

"What… is that?" Undyne said.

Frisk grabbed both her shoulders. "Chara, look at me."

"Frisk, even  _you_ must agree!" Chara yelled. "Tell me they will  _die_! Tell me there will be  _no mercy_ for them!"

Frisk brushed his finger against her eye. "Chara, look…"

His finger was covered with some kind of black, tar-like substance. Did that… come from her? She tried to calm down. "Wh-what?"

"Chara…" Frisk breathed, "your eyes…"

Chara wiped her eyes and looked at the black substance. It was drippy and horrid-looking. It was disgusting, and it came from  _her_. Oh, God, it came from  _her_. What was wrong with her?

"Huh, you should probably get that checked out," Sans nonchalantly said. "Last time I checked, humans don't do that."

Chara's SOUL sank. "I… I… Have I done this before?"

"Well, your eyes glowed a couple of times," Flowey said, "but  _this_ is new."

Chara rested her head on the table. She had been afraid of this. It seemed that despite Felicia's SOUL and Frisk's best efforts, she may not have been entirely human.

Frisk tried to comfort her. "Hey, it's okay now. Just try to stay calm, all right?"

Chara took a deep breath. They had far more pressing concerns than her well-being. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Frisk whimpered. Oh, Frisk. Seeing her like this was  _not_  what he needed right now.

Nate wasn't doing well, either. "Jacob actually did this?  _Nora_  did this?"

"Yep," Flowey said. "In fact, Boaris absorbed your soul for some reason. Do you remember anything?"

Nate shook his head. "No... I… I was used to destroy the world?"

Boaris was always hard to figure out. "Well…" Chara said, "you were the eighth soul he absorbed. I'm not sure what he wanted with you. He already had seven souls, so yours was unnecessary."

"Maybe it made him even stronger?" Frisk suggested.

"I don't think so," Flowey said. "That's like asking what's infinity plus infinity. I had that power, and I was as strong as my willpower allowed. I doubt you could get any stronger from there."

"Then, why?" Frisk asked. "Did he just want to reunite Nate with his sister?"

Chara sighed. "Anything's possible with this guy."

Nate held his head. "Ugh… yes, I must have spoken with Nora, but I can't remember..."

"That's probably for the best," Flowey said. "She probably said something awful to you. You must have seen firsthand what a psycho she really is."

Nate glared at him. "Hey, I'm trying to play nice here."

"Nora isn't," Flowey retorted.

Nate grunted, and he silently ate his burger. Everyone else followed his lead and ate in silence.

Eager to get out, Chara finished quickly and got up. "Excuse me, but I wish to see my mother as soon as possible."

Frisk got up too, and Flowey hopped on Chara's shoulder. After what happened to her, they all needed to see her again.

Sans waved goodbye. "See ya."

_Sans…_

Chara looked at Sans ruefully. "Hey… I know you don't remember, but before the reset, I said some terrible things to you. I apologize. I didn't mean to be so harsh. I just wanted to help Toriel."

"Hmph,  _you're_ the one who should apologize," Flowey told Sans. "You're the one who attacked her."

"Well…" Sans said, "I don't remember what happened, but I guess I was just trying to keep the old eye socket out for you."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, you just–"

Sans cut him off. "I don't need the details, kid. Don't worry about it."

Frisk frowned. "But, you did say something strange about her. You said that Chara was… something."

"Oh, yeah. If nothing else, Chara sure is something."

Frustration creeped up on Frisk's face. "Sans…"

He grew serious. "Kid, some secrets are best left alone. Like the whole soul absorption thing. Just imagine how great things would be if we didn't know about that."

"Do you still not trust her?" Frisk demanded. "How many times do I have to tell you that Chara doesn't mean us any harm?"

"I can only hope you're right," Sans said.

Chara couldn't blame him. She wouldn't trust herself, either.

"Sans, what's your deal with her?" Undyne asked. "Sure, she was a little messed up, but she seems cool now. And if we're being honest, she really hasn't done anything worse than Asgore and I have."

"Trust me," Sans said, "you don't want to know."

_Huh?_

Sans refused to say more, and Chara noted a particularly nervous expression on Alphys's face. What was going on with those two? What did they know? What was frightening them?

"Hey, don't let me keep you," Sans said. "You want to see Tori, right? I can take you there if you want."

Right, Mother. At the moment, nothing else mattered. "Thanks for the offer," Chara said, "but I'd rather not trouble you. We can see ourselves home just fine."

"All right, then. Bye."

"See you later, Sans."

Boaris, Malcom, Nora, Felicia, goopy eyes… Sans's ominous words were just one more thing on the list. With Flowey on her shoulder and Frisk by her side, Chara made her way back home.

* * *

Chara knocked on the door. Toriel answered. "My children…"

Mother… she was alive. She was alive! Chara knew it, but  _she was alive_! "Mother!"

Chara, Frisk, and Toriel all embraced each other.

"Toriel," Frisk said, "did you… hear what happened?"

Toriel nodded. "Aside from getting Chara and Asriel back, the past few weeks have been nothing but torment. Frisk's abduction, Endogeny, and now this... I cannot imagine what it was like to witness that."

Chara held her tight. "Mother, it was worse than I have words for. Boaris killed you right in front of us. He–"

Toriel shushed her. "Speak of it no more, Chara. No matter what you saw, I am here, alive and well. Everything is okay. Just rest now."

Chara sniffled. "Y-yes, thank you, Mother… I love you."

"I love you too, my child."

Toriel led them inside. They sat at the dining room table, and Toriel poured Chara and Frisk cups of golden flower tea. Chara took a long sip. After being locked in that room for over eleven days, she was so thankful to see Toriel alive again. She couldn't bear the thought of truly losing her. Damn Boaris. That creature had made her entire family suffer. What kind of monster would do the things he did? Was he even a monster? No, he was the monsters' equivalent of inhuman. His actions had put all of monsterkind at risk. He needed to pay for his crimes.

Frisk sipped his tea. "It's great, Toriel."

"Glad to hear it," Toriel replied.

Flowey had been silent the whole time. Toriel gave him an affectionate pat on the head. "I love you, my son."

He didn't say anything. He could only wish he returned Toriel's feelings. Oh, Flowey. Chara was still wracked with guilt over him. She was starting to wonder if he was right. Was bringing him back to Toriel really the right thing to do? Would it have been better if Frisk had just forgotten about him, like he asked him to?

No, Chara had to believe there was something she could do for him. She would keep her promise. One day, Boaris's SOUL would be his.

But for now, Chara just wanted to spend time with her family.

Toriel understood Flowey's silence. She was saddened, but not offended. She shifted her attention to Chara. "There is a little bit of good news. While you were out, I finally got you a bed. I set you up in the room directly across from Frisk's."

She managed a smile. "Good, Frisk can have his bed back to himself now."

Frisk smiled too. "Aw, but we liked sharing a room."

Toriel laughed. "Oh, you two."

Chara finished her tea. "Hey, Mother, were you working on the garden recently?"

"Umm, yes," Toriel answered. "I must confess, I was having some trouble."

"Would you like my assistance?"

"Oh, yes. That would be lovely!"

"I guess I'll help too," Flowey said. "I know a lot about flowers, obviously."

"I don't know much about gardening," Frisk said, "but I can provide moral support."

Chara smiled. "Then it's settled. Let's go."

Chara spent the rest of the day with the people she loved. They did their best to stay strong.

* * *

That night, Chara was alone in her new room. It was very similar to Frisk's room, with a bed, a TV, a wardrobe, and a couch. She placed a potted golden flower from the garden on her nightstand. She stared at it wistfully. Even after all these years, she was still captivated by the golden flowers.

She heard someone walk in. It was Frisk.

Chara was always glad to see him. "Here to wish me goodnight?"

"Chara," Frisk said, "there are some, uh, personal things I need to get off my chest."

She cocked her head. "Hmm? Is this about the drippy eyes?"

Frisk sat down on the couch. "Well, I'm worried about that, too."

She sat next to him. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

Frisk took a deep breath. "When Nate threatened to kill you, you promised that you'd sacrifice yourself to save Felicia. Did… did you mean it? Would you really… die for her?" He cringed at the mere thought of her dying.

She frowned. "Yes, I would. I initially thought Felicia's essence was absent, but with these memories I've been experiencing, I'm not so sure anymore. It's possible that her essence is not gone, but dormant, like how mine was until you found me."

Chara could see the fear growing in Frisk's eyes. "So, if Felicia wakes up, then what?"

"I… I will do everything I can to transfer control of her SOUL back to her, even if it destroys me."

Frisk held her hand. "I know this is selfish, but I don't want Felicia to come back, not if it means losing you. You mean so much to me, Chara."

She broke eye contact. "I'm so sorry, Frisk. I promised to place Felicia's life over my own, but I also promised to make you happy. I guess I can't really keep both of those promises, can I? Heh, no wonder Sans hates making promises."

"Chara, your life is important too. Never forget that, no matter what anyone tells you."

Chara wondered what it was that made Frisk love her so much. He had complemented her strength, her bravery, her spirit, her humor, her looks, but were those things really what made him  _love_ her? He did love her, that much was certain. Chara could see it in his eyes. Frisk would follow her to hell and back, but why? What made her so special? Why would he choose to save someone who hated humanity over someone who didn't seem to hate anyone?

Perhaps, buried deep inside his kind and forgiving soul, Frisk held just a little bit of spite for humanity himself. Perhaps he was just a little frustrated that people weren't always as merciful as he was. When he set out to destroy the barrier, he had freed an entire race that humanity had imprisoned without their permission. He had done it because he loved them, but maybe he also felt some satisfaction proving that the humans were wrong to seal them away. As for Chara, so many people despised her and just wanted her to die for what she had done. Perhaps part of the reason that Frisk loved her was to spite them, just like how he spited humanity by destroying the barrier.

Or, perhaps, Chara was overthinking it. She was the spiteful one, not Frisk. Maybe Frisk simply loved her, and that was all there was to it.

"Frisk," Chara whispered, "I'm so lucky to have you. I'm not going to give you up easily, but if Felicia does wake up, this  _is_ her SOUL. I couldn't justify keeping it from her, no matter how much I want to stay with you."

Frisk held back tears. "That doesn't make me happy, but I understand. You really are a good person, Chara."

Chara smiled and touched his cheek. "Thanks to your guidance."

"… hey," Frisk said, "is it possible that I could give you my SOUL?"

Chara was startled. Was there no end to his kindness? "Frisk, I could not accept that. Your SOUL belongs to  _you_. I couldn't just take it."

"Chara, I'd gladly give you my SOUL."

"Frisk…" She smiled. "That's moving a little fast, don't you think? We've only been dating for a couple weeks, and you're already pledging your SOUL to me?"

Frisk smiled. "If you'll accept it, my heart belongs to you."

Chara blushed. "You're too sweet, Frisk."

"Sorry, I can't help it with you."

She giggled, and she hugged him tight. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Frisk's body was so warm. She wasn't ready to let go of him just yet. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Frisk, tell me the truth. Do you think everything will be okay?"

"Things are bad," Frisk admitted. "Humans and monsters are going to have problems. There's no denying that. But, I do think there's still hope. Boaris proved that he  _could_ destroy the world, but he didn't, not really. Even he doesn't actually have any lust for power. I'm sure we can use that."

"Ah, you're so hopeful, Frisk. I imagine that the best solution would be to find some way to defeat such a monster, but all the legends say that no such counter exists. I truly wish we had a definite answer to this problem."

Frisk held her tighter. "We'll have plenty of time to worry about all this later. For now, I just want to stay with you."

She nodded. "Yes, whatever we do, we must not give in to despair. Let's be happy together while we still can."

Frisk smiled. "Hey, remember that little speech you gave Boaris? I was so proud of you. You really stood up to him, and I was so glad to see you starting to trust humanity. You've grown so much. You were amazing."

Chara smirked. "Yeah, I could see that. You were really turned on, weren't you?"

Frisk laughed. "Yes, to be honest. I felt like I could take you in my arms and kiss you right there."

Chara leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Well, here I am…"

Blood rushed to Frisk's face. "You want to…?"

Chara wrapped her arms around Frisk's shoulders and pulled him close. She closed her eyes, and she gently met Frisk's lips. Frisk quickly got into it and fluidly kissed back. God, it felt even better than last time. Chara calmly pushed Frisk down on the couch and laid him on his back. Her heart racing, she gripped Frisk tight, and they melted into another tender kiss. Frisk's warmth and love was exactly what she needed. No matter how bad things got, they were there for each other.

Eventually, Chara pulled back to look at Frisk's dashing red eyes. She smiled warmly. "Thank you, Frisk. I needed that."

Frisk smiled back. "Did it fill you with determination?"

She kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, it did."

"Yeah, me too."

She got off of him and stood up. "All right, you should get out of here before my mother thinks we have a problem."

"Aww, you don't want to cuddle?"

She smiled bashfully. "Perhaps another time."

Frisk got up off the couch and smiled. "I look forward to it. Goodnight… my Chara."

"'Night, my Frisk."

Before he left, Frisk stopped and gave her a concerned look. "But, you'll be fine, right? You haven't had a nightmare in a while, but…"

Chara nodded. "Yes, don't worry about me. It's great that you want to protect me, but you don't have to be my shield. I can take care of myself."

"I know," Frisk said, "but if do you need me, I'm not far."

"Same goes for you," Chara replied. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Frisk smiled. "Of course. See you in the morning." He left the room.

_Frisk, I'll never be able to express how grateful I am for you. I hope our love never ends._

Chara laid down on her bed. Something in her gut told her she would experience another one of Felicia's memories that night, and it would not be a pleasant one. But Chara was ready. It was time to get to the bottom of what happened to her SOUL's previous owner.

Chara turned off the lights.


	22. Murderer

This time, Felicia actually paid attention to the boring dinner.

Mother, Father, Nate, Nora, and Jacob were all seated. Felicia watched closely as the maid, Flora, laid out the meat, the fish, and the drinks in an orderly fashion. One of their chefs, Kawasaki, came and poured the tea into Felicia, Nate, Nora, and Jacob's cups, in that order. Felicia didn't spot anything suspicious. Everything looked normal.

"Your favorites are here!" Kawasaki exclaimed. "Steak, fish, wine, and sunflower tea!"

"Golden flower tea," Felicia corrected.

"Oh, right! Easy mistake!"

Idiot.

Flora bowed. "Please enjoy." She and Kawasaki left. Everything was just like last time.

Wait, no. Shouldn't the scientists have been here by now?

They finally showed up. "Sorry to keep you waiting," John apologized.

"We just got a report," Eva explained. "There has been a reset recently."

"Two, actually."

"But one was just five seconds."

"It wasn't even worth mentioning."

"This one, however…"

Father cut them off. "One at a time, please."

"Sorry," John said. "The point is, your daughter reset this night."

Mother gave her a scolding look. "Felicia, why did you reset?"

"U-umm…" She couldn't just tell them that she saw Jacob die. She didn't want to spook the killer, if they hadn't been spooked already.

"Resets are not a toy," Mother chided.

"Your Mother's right," Father said. "You can't reset without a good reason."

"Do we need to explain it?" Eva asked.

_Oh, no…_

"First of all," John began, "when you reset, you are not the only one traveling through time. When you reset, everyone goes with you."

"Think of our timeline as a cassette tape," Eva said. "Left untouched, the tape plays normally, and when you reset, you are rewinding it to a certain save point."

"A common misconception about World Masters is that they travel to different timelines. In reality, when you reset, you do _not_ create a new timeline. Save for some trace memories, everything that happened ceases to exist. When you reset, you're erasing the entire world's progress."

"Even without full recollection, the effects can linger. Have you ever played a video game and forgot to save for a while, or perhaps even lost all your data and had to start all over? Imagine that, except in real life. Imagine finding out that you and everyone you know forgot the last day you spent."

"Although, it is curious how some people experience faint memories of resets. While no one truly understands how this memory retention works, DT is clearly linked with…"

"…the timespace-continuum reacts to every…"

"…on the quantum level…"

"…a breakthrough has allowed us to…"

"…can track them with a device that uses…"

Felicia yawned, deeply.

Both scientists glared at her with their light blue eyes. "You need to teach her some respect," Eva told her parents.

Father sighed. "We've tried. She's unteachable."

Mother rolled her blue eyes. "She never listens."

_I listen; I just don't always agree._

"Anyway," John said, "this actually brings us to what we wanted to talk to you about."

"As you know," Eva began, "while World Masters don't create new timelines, other timelines exist, all running independently of each other. By studying these timelines, we can predict possible routes our own timeline may take."

"And one of these routes is… disturbing."

"To put it lightly."

Father's orange eyes widened in fear. "What do you mean?"

Eva took a deep breath. "Sometimes, for reasons we don't understand, everything in a timeline suddenly ends. They are turned into worlds of total darkness. Photon readings are absolutely negative in these worlds. Nothing remains but blackness and howling wind."

"And this is a route that… our timeline could take," John fearfully said. "We've calculated that we may branch into this path within thirty years."

Was that what this was all about? Was that why someone was trying to kill Jacob, and possibly her?

"Is it monsters?" Nora asked. "I mean, what else could cause that?"

Eva nodded. "Yes, that is the most solid theory. We know of no other power that is capable of such total destruction."

Nora looked at Felicia. "See? I told you! It's too dangerous to let the monsters out! They could destroy everything!"

For just a moment, Felicia was filled with doubt. What if freeing the monsters _was_ what caused those timelines to be destroyed? Could that prophecy have been right after all? Was she really the demon who would return from the underground and bring an end to everything?

No, Felicia cast those doubts aside. There was no way that prophecy could be true. No prophecy was true. To believe in a prophecy was to believe in a fate that could not be changed, and determination was all about changing fate. Those other timelines showed something that _could_ happen, not something that _would_ happen. Humans and monsters weren't fated to fight each other. If they just tried, Felicia knew they could live peacefully. Human, monster, what did it matter? They were all just people.

"They won't," Felicia said confidently. "Not if we work together."

Nora gritted her teeth. "You're so naïve! Your idealism is going to get us all killed!"

Mother frowned. "How did you raise such a smart child?" she asked Nora's parents.

"Can we trade?" Father asked.

… _Wow… thanks, Mom and Dad…_

John, Eva, Nate, and Jacob all gave Father a disturbed look.

"Dad!" Jacob shouted. "Don't give away my big sister!"

Father laughed. "Calm down! I was only joking!"

"Well, it wasn't funny!" Nate exclaimed.

"S-sorry," Father apologized.

Nate leaned close to Felicia. "I feel so bad for you," he whispered. "Joking or not, no parent should talk about their own kid that way. It's not right."

If only that were Felicia's biggest concern…

"Nate!" John called out. "It's rude to talk behind people's backs."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just telling Felicia how much her parents _suck_."

"NATE!"

Similar to last time, an awkward silence ensued, and just like last time, Jacob reached for his tea.

Felicia grabbed his wrist. "Wait!"

Jacob looked confused. "Huh?"

"Umm… I think you should let it cool more."

The tea wasn't even hot at all anymore. "Uh, Felicia? Are you okay?"

"U-umm…" Felicia swapped their cups. "Here! Doesn't mine look so much better? Drink mine!"

The whole room looked at Felicia like she was crazy. Jacob shrugged, and he drank from Felicia's cup. Everyone but Felicia started eating in silence.

She watched Jacob in tense suspense. Had she successfully saved him from the poison? Last time, only a single sip killed him. This time, his cup was half full, and he was still breathing.

Nora quickly finished her own cup of golden flower tea. "Ah, I love this stuff! More!"

Kawasaki came and refilled Nora's cup. He noticed Jacob's half full cup. "Would you like some more, too?"

"Sure."

Sweat trickled down Felicia's brow as Kawasaki refilled Jacob's tea, but Nora's tea was clean, right? Felicia just had to watch closely.

She didn't see anything, but she heard a strange sound from the tea pot. Like something being clicked into place.

"Thank you." Jacob held the cup and started to take a sip.

She couldn't let him. She grasped the cup and pried it from her brother's hand. " _Jacob, don't!_ "

Everyone was startled by Felicia's outburst, especially Jacob. "H-huh? What's wrong?"

Felicia took a deep breath. "Everyone, here's the reason I reset this night: Someone's trying to kill Jacob. I saw him die."

"Wh-what?" Mother breathed. "Why would someone want to hurt my Jacob?"

"Who?!" Father demanded.

"Well, I have a theory." Felicia pointed at Kawasaki.

The chef looked confused. "Me?"

"You poisoned Jacob's tea," Felicia said. "There's no one else who could have done it."

He looked offended. "Felicia! I've served your family since you were a cute little baby! Why would I ever try to hurt you?"

"Is that so?" Felicia shoved the tea he had just poured for Jacob in his face. "Then drink it."

Kawasaki's purple eyes widened. "F-Felicia, there's no need for–"

"Drink it!"

Kawasaki sighed. "Oh, Felicia…"

Nora shrieked. "Felicia!"

Before she could react, Kawasaki pulled out a knife from under his apron, and he plunged it into Felicia's chest, right through her heart. She gagged. The pain was burning. Blood poured out of her wound, and she felt her life slowly drain away.

Mother screamed.

Nate and Nora tacked Kawasaki off of her, but it was too late. Felicia collapsed to the ground. As her vision blurred, she could hear her family running to her side and begging her to stay with them.

Her SOUL shattered.

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia held her chest and gasped for air. It _hurt_. It _still_ hurt. She looked at her palm and was relieved to see there was no blood, but it still hurt. Dying was not fun.

She did her best to collect herself and process what happened. The murderer, it was really Chef Kawasaki? It didn't make sense. Was she really supposed to believe that a mere chef suddenly decided to murder Jacob? No, there had to be more to it. Someone must have bribed him, or blackmailed him, or something. Either way, Felicia had to find out what was really going on.

Felicia reset back to before the dinner. She walked into the kitchen. Chef Kirby was cooking his poyo chicken, and Kawasaki was making his fugu. Felicia approached him.

"Kawasaki," she whispered, "I know what you're trying to do."

He turned around and smiled innocently. "If you mean pleasing your taste buds, you've got me!"

"I didn't realize poison was your idea of a good meal."

A timer went off. Kawasaki ignored it and gestured towards his fish. "Oh? You know about fugu? Don't worry! I know it sounds dangerous, but I'm a professional! I always cut the toxin safely away!"

Ah, right. Fugu and its deadly tetrodotoxin. It was lethal enough to kill within minutes. However, the symptoms weren't as bloody as whatever he used on Jacob, so it wasn't the murder weapon.

"Perhaps," Felicia said, "but I believe Jacob prefers his tea without poison as well."

Kawasaki stopped smiling and reached under his apron. "Felicia, I'm getting a real sense of déjà vu here. Aren't you?"

_Ah, hell…_

Out of nowhere, Nora ran into the kitchen. "H-hey! What's going on in here?!"

Felicia was startled. "N-Nora?! What are you–"

Kawasaki slit her throat.

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia clutched her throat. That one was even worse. The feeling of being torn open there was _terrifying_. That metallic taste was still fresh on her mind. She felt like her neck could burst back open at any moment. Kawasaki, that bastard! Counting Jacob's death, that was three times he had inflicted this pain. Felicia wanted him to know what it felt like.

N-no… Felicia had to calm down. No matter how she felt about him, she had to get answers from him. There had to be a reason he was doing this, something that would explain why he thought killing her was the right thing to do. Felicia just had to keep trying.

Again, she approached Kawasaki. She asked him plainly. "Why are you doing this?"

Again, he played innocent. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you trying to kill Jacob?"

He dropped the act. "Oh, he's not the one we're really after…"

Again, he stabbed Felicia right through the heart.

**FILE LOADED**

Tears streaming down her face, Felicia tried again.

"Kawasaki, how could you do this? You've known me for–"

**FILE LOADED**

"Please, stop! You don't have to–"

**FILE LOADED**

"It… it hurts… please, don't–"

**FILE LOADED**

"Who's making you do this? If you'd just talk to me, I promise I'll help–"

**FILE LOADED**

Nora screamed.

**FILE LOADED**

Her blood spread onto the floor.

**FILE LOADED**

Jacob told her to stay awake.

**FILE LOADED**

She wanted to call for help, but she didn't know who she could trust.

**FILE LOADED**

Her parents came, but it didn't matter.

**FILE LOADED**

" _Why are you doing this?!"_

**FILE LOADED**

" _Why?!_ "

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia slammed her fist into his face. " _You murderer!_ "

He was stronger.

**FILE LOADED**

**FILE LOADED**

**FILE LOADED**

**FILE LOADED**

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia slowly stumbled into the kitchen. She must have looked indescribably pathetic. Kawasaki didn't even hide it this time. He could only imagine how many times he had killed her.

"P-please…' Felicia breathed.

He leaned close to her and whispered. "Just give up now, before it gets worse."

Worse? It was going to get worse?

Yet again, Nora ran into the kitchen. "H-hey! What's going on in here?!"

This time, Kawasaki stuck the knife in the side of her throat. Felicia instinctively reached for her wound as her blood sprayed all over the kitchen wall. She slowly stumbled over and fell on the floor. She felt the familiar feeling of her consciousness fading before her SOUL shattered.

**FILE LOADED**

_Damn it!_

How many times had it been? Heh, she wasn't counting, but… it was quite a bit more than three now.

No matter what she tried, Kawasaki wouldn't give in. Reset after reset, he refused to reveal even the slightest hint about his motivation or who he was working with.

Felicia decided… she didn't care what his reasons were. It didn't matter. What could possibly justify all the pain he had inflicted on her? Nothing could. No matter what his reasons were, he didn't even deserve to be called human.

But, what was going on with Nora? Was it possible that… Nora was involved? Felicia knew that Nora hated her plan to free the monsters, but she never thought that she'd _kill_ her over it.

Perhaps she was wrong.

Now that she thought about it, it was awfully suspicious how Nora told her to reset and avenge Jacob's death. If forcing her to reset was her plan, of course she'd say that. And, when Felicia tried to save Jacob, it was Nora who asked Kawasaki for refills, giving him another chance to poison Jacob. And, how did Nora know that Kawasaki was about to kill her, _before_ he reached for his knife? And, why did Nora follow her into the kitchen? Felicia could only think of one explanation: Nora knew she was on to them.

Oh! And when Jacob was poisoned, Nora _laughed_. She _laughed_! Who laughed at an innocent person's pain? Only a psychopath would do such a thing. Sure, when he died, Nora _acted_ sad, but that was all it was, _acting_.

Felicia didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming. The thought hurt her even more than Kawasaki's knife. She thought Nora was her friend, but that was a lie, wasn't it? Nora had betrayed her. No, not just her. She had betrayed Felicia's entire family. She felt a chill run down her spine. How could she have been so stupid and naïve? How could she not have realized that Nora hated her so much? How could she not have seen Nora as the murderer she truly was? She felt sick.

Nora was going to pay, but first, she had to deal with Kawasaki. Nora would be next.

Felicia had a brilliant idea. As much as she would have loved to murder Kawasaki all by herself, things could have been a lot easier if she just swallowed her pride and asked for some help. What about Flora? She had trained for this sort of thing. Felicia was sure she could trust Flora.

Felicia found Flora in the dining room setting the table for dinner. "Flora," she whispered. "I need your help with something."

"Oh, what is it?"

As one would imagine, Felicia's parents were very busy people. Being a president and a senator did not allow for much time to raise a family. They frequently had to travel far from home on important trips and meetings. While they were away, Flora was the one who cared for Felicia. Flora was almost as much of a mother to her as her actual parents. However, she was also a loyal maid, and she often acted as Felicia's servant. It was kind of a confusing relationship.

True to her nature, Flora had a caring and gentle appearance. She had long, light blonde hair, pale skin. and light blue eyes. More importantly, she was a capable mage specializing in ice magic, which could prove useful. Very useful.

"Do not panic," Felicia said, and she wouldn't. Even when things got bad, Flora was always calm and collected, a true patience SOUL. "Someone is trying to kill me."

"Kill you?" she whispered back. "Who?"

"Kawasaki."

"Are you certain?"

"He made it pretty clear when he shoved a knife in my chest."

"O-oh..."

"So, will you help me?" Felicia asked.

Flora nodded. "Of course."

Kawasaki was dead this time.

With Flora protecting her, Felicia went into the kitchen once more, and she once more confronted Kawasaki.

"Hey, Kawasaki!" she cheerfully said. "That's a lovely teapot you've got there! I would  _love to_ take a look at it!"

Once he saw Flora, sweat trickled down Kawasaki's brow. "Uh... I don't think you would."

"Oh, come on, Kawasaki! Just a quick peak!"

"N-no, I would really rather you didn't."

"Kawasaki, it wasn't a question..."

He clenched his teeth, and he pulled out his knife. "Die you monster lover!"

With that, Flora immediately blasted Kawasaki with a cold stream of ice magic, freezing his body in place. Well, that was easy! Felicia pried Kawasaki's knife from his frozen hand. She grinned. "I always knew you were an idiot."

Chef Kirby gasped when he saw the scene. "Wh-what's going on here?"

Poor Kirby. Felicia sure hoped he was innocent. She would have hated him to suffer a similar fate as Kawasaki.

Felicia pressed Kawasaki's own knife against his neck. He may have been magically frozen, but he was still conscious. His purple eyes widened in fear.

"Do you know how many times you've killed me?" she whispered. "I don't, either."

Kawasaki tried to speak, but his voice was muffled by the magical ice.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."

Felicia could make out a scream from under the ice. It sounded so sweet.

"Flora, unfreeze him," Felicia ordered.

"U-umm, all right." Flora obeyed.

The moment Kawasaki was unfrozen, Felicia stabbed Kawasaki's chest. His blood flowed out of the wound. "This is for Jacob, you sick bastard."

Flora gasped. "F-Felicia..."

She gripped the knife tight, and she rapidly, violently stabbed him several more times before letting him fall to the ground. It felt good.

Kawasaki's purple SOUL floated out of his body. Felicia sliced it open, and its purple shards scattered across the room.

Felicia gained ten EXP. Her LOVE increased to level two. It felt  _very_  good.

"Felicia," Flora whispered, "did you really have to...?"

"Yes," Felicia said. "Yes, I did. He attacked me. He gave me no choice. It was self-defense." She looked at Kirby. "Isn't that right, Kirby?"

Kirby's whole body was shaking. "U-uh, yes! Definitely! Total self-defense, yes! There was absolutely no other way!"

Felicia grinned. "I'm glad you understand."

Nora once again ran in the kitchen. "Hey, what's going on..." She turned pale when she saw the bloody scene. "Oh my..."

"Hi, Nora!" Felicia chirped. "Don't worry, everything's been taken care of!"

"Wh-what happened?"

_You know what happened._

The others came in too. They were all horrified when they saw Kawasaki's corpse. "Felicia!" Mother exclaimed. "What happened?!"

"Kawasaki tried to kill me," she said. "He poisoned Jacob. I had to reset several times to stop him."

"Do you... have any evidence?" Eva asked.

"Well," Felicia said, "aside from my witnesses Flora and Kirby, you really should check his teapot. I think you'll find something interesting."

Eva retrieved the teapot and examined it. "I don't see… Wait, there's some kind of compartment inside."

She found a switch and flipped it. Felicia could see something flow into the tea.

"Damn…" Father muttered.

"Th-that's the poison?" Mother asked.

Felicia nodded. "Be glad you don't remember what it did to Jacob."

"He… he really tried to kill me?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Felicia said. "He  _did_  kill you, and now I've returned the favor."

Jacob frowned. "Sister…"

"Why did he do this?" Father asked.

Felicia looked around the room. "I don't know, but I know he wasn't alone. Someone else is trying to kill me."

"But, who?" Nate asked.

"Well, I have some suspicions."

"What suspicions?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather not say."

"What? Why not?"

A fire lit up in Felicia's red eyes. "Because they could be right here in this room."

Everyone was silent for a while.

Mother glared at the scientists. "It's you two, isn't it?"

"What?!" Eva shouted.

"We'd never!" John insisted.

"I know we appear to have motive," Eva said, "but we're not murderers!"

"Yeah!" Nora exclaimed. "Don't talk to my Mom and Dad like that!"

Mother scoffed. "You know what? I wouldn't be surprised if you're involved, Nora!"

_Yes! There's something Mother and I can agree on!_

Nora didn't respond. She didn't even seem surprised by the accusation.

"You're insane!" John yelled.

"Our families have been on good terms for a long time," Father said, "but if you had anything to do with this, you will have the entire Human Government against you."

Felicia took another glance at everyone in the room, especially Nora. "Well, my would-be killer, whoever you are, take a good look at Kawasaki. When I find you, I'm going to make you suffer far more than he did."

Nate began to cry. "Th-this is all so horrible…"

Nora made a show of comforting him, but Felicia knew the truth. Nora didn't care about any of them. She was a psychopath who hated monsters and would do anything to keep them imprisoned. No, forget imprisoning them. If she could, Nora would kill them all, and she'd kill any human who stood in her way. Felicia wasn't going to let that happen. She just needed some hard evidence, and she'd have her revenge. She took one last look at Kawasaki, and she left the kitchen with a satisfied grin on her face.

No one fucked with her family.

* * *

" **LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for "Level of Violence." A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."**

**-Sans**


	23. Break

Chara vomited her putrid tar into the toilet.

For over three weeks, she had watched – experienced – Felicia's dark memories. Suffering the pain of her deaths was bad enough, but that wasn't the worst part. As Felicia's sanity began to slip, so did Chara's. She could feel all of Felicia's sorrow, rage, and bloodlust. It was all becoming a part of her.

Panting, Chara flushed the toilet and watched the tar fall down the drain. She held the counter for support and stared at herself in the mirror. The tar was still dripping from her eyes and mouth. It wouldn't stop. Her eyes had turned pitch black all over, save for her pupils, which glowed a faint red. She was looking into the eyes of a demon,  _her_ eyes.

No! She didn't want this. She didn't want to – she couldn't – be a demon. She couldn't be the demon everyone thought she was. She wasn't a murderer. She wasn't.  _She wasn't!_

Chara screamed, and she struck her reflection with all her might. The mirror shattered, and a glass shard lodged into her fist. She winced as her blood fell down into the sink below. It hurt. It  _hurt_. She was such an idiot.

Someone knocked on the door. "Chara!" Flowey shouted. "Are you okay?!"

She was silent. She didn't want him to see her like this.

Someone else pounded on the door. "My child!" Toriel called. "Are you hurt? Open this door!"

_No, go away..._

"Chara! Stand back!"

"Wait! Let me handle this."

A vine slithered under the door and reached for the knob. It found the lock and opened it. Toriel, Flowey, and Frisk ran inside.

Toriel covered her mouth in shock. "Ch-Chara…"

Chara hid her face behind a towel. "D-don't… don't look at me…"

Frisk slowly approached her. "Chara, it's okay. Let us help you."

She shook her head. "N-no! Get away from me!" She tried to back away, but there was no escape.

Frisk grabbed her arms. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Flowey held her hand. Chara whimpered painfully as he pulled the glass out of her fingers. Toriel healed the wound with a spell right away.

"Chara," Frisk whispered, "what happened?"

She kept hiding her face. She didn't speak.

"Chara, please…"

She let them see. She dropped the towel and stared at them.

"Golly…" Flowey breathed.

She sniffled. "Th-this is what I truly am."

Frisk wrapped his arms around her. Her filthy tar dripped on Frisk's shoulder. Oh, Frisk. He didn't deserve to be tainted by her.

"This… this is fine," Frisk said. "You're gonna be fine, you hear me?"

"Frisk is right," Toriel said. "No matter what, you are still my child."

"Talk to us," Flowey said. "How did this happen? Was it another nightmare?"

Chara nodded. "She didn't just die this time. She… she  _killed_. He deserved it, but…"

Toriel embraced her. "Oh, Chara. I cannot imagine what that was like."

Yeah, Chara hadn't just watched Felicia kill him. Felicia's SOUL was now Chara's SOUL. It might as well have been Chara herself who killed Kawasaki. That murderer deserved to die, but even so, Felicia may have taken a  _little_  too much pleasure in ending his life. Chara knew how dangerous it was to walk down that path. If she wasn't careful, Felicia was going to be consumed by her own hatred, and so would Chara.

One thing was for sure, Felicia wasn't the exactly innocent, harmless girl Chara thought she was.

Flowey crawled on her shoulder. "You'll be okay, Chara. You cheated death itself. Felicia should be no problem for you."

Chara wiped more tar off her eyes. "Asriel, look at me. I am  _not_ okay."

"You'll get better."

"You will," Frisk said.

Chara breathed deeply. "I… I hope you're right."

Flowey smiled. "Hey, I bet you can make a  _real_ creepy face now!"

"Asriel, now is  _not_  the time for jokes."

Frisk smiled too. "I bet you would still look cute if you smiled!"

She turned just a bit more pink. "Frisk…"

"Yeah!" Flowey agreed. "Smile for us, Chara!"

Chara glanced at each of them. "Are you not even a little afraid of me?"

"I am afraid  _for_ you," Toriel answered, "but I could never be afraid of  _you_."

Frisk and Flowey both nodded in agreement.

They broke the hug. For them, Chara made just a small smile. "Thank you, so much."

"Of course," Toriel replied. "We are all here for you, Chara."

"Hey, you  _do_ look cute!" Frisk exclaimed. "I love your regular eyes, but this is pretty attractive in its own way!"

She shook her head. "Frisk, you can't be serious."

"No, I mean it!" He carefully picked up a shard of glass. "Here, look!"

She wasn't seeing it. She was hideous. Well, she supposed her dark eyes did have that demonically seductive quality to them, but all that tar was utterly repulsive. "Really, Frisk? You want  _this_? I don't even look human. I think…" She frowned. "I think I really am a demon."

Frisk kept smiling. "You know what? Even if you are, that's okay!"

"What?! Frisk, how is being a demon okay?"

"Well, being a monster is okay, isn't it?"

"U-umm…"

Chara could see what he was trying to say. Humans often used the word 'monster' to describe a terrible person, but the actual monster race was full of good people. Perhaps… being a demon was not so different.

"So," she said, "I'm a demon, and I should be proud of it?"

"Yep!" Frisk cheered. "If you're a demon, then you're the best demon I've ever met!"

_Frisk…_

She couldn't help but laugh. "Frisk, you never cease to amaze me."

He showed off her reflection again. "And look, it's turning back to normal already."

So it was. Chara watched as the color returned to her eyes. The tar stopped dripping, and Chara regained her normal human appearance.

"See?" Flowey asked. "What did I tell you? Nothing to worry about. There was no need to break a mirror over this."

"Oh, right!" Chara bowed. "Mother! I'm sorry for breaking it!"

"Seriously," Flowey said. "Punching a mirror? That's pretty much the most miserable thing you can do, and you said  _I_ was the crybaby."

"Think nothing of it," Toriel replied. "I can replace that mirror. I cannot replace you."

"You are too kind, Mother," Chara said.

"But remember," Toriel said, "you begin school this week. Will you be ready for that?"

Chara swore she heard the mirror break again. "School? Like, with people?"

"Yes, remember? You, Frisk, and Asriel are all beginning your first year of high school! Exciting, is it not?"

Chara did not see this going well. She didn't see it going well at all. It wasn't that she wasn't smart, or that she was lazy. It was, well, being near all those humans. They were all going to stare at her,  _judging_ her. She wasn't ready for…

No, since when did she care what a few humans thought? Mother was right. She had to face this. She had to be ready for it.

Frisk held her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be fine! And I'll be there, too! Sadly, we don't have any classes together, but we can still see each other at lunch!"

Chara nodded. "Y-yeah. I suppose it will be nice to have some normal problems to worry about."

"That's the spirit!"

"Waste of time if you ask me," Flowey grumbled. "We've got better things to do, like saving the world from that damn president."

Right, the human and monster situation was still deteriorating. After what Boaris did, fear and blatant prejudice were on the rise. The Government was – relatively speaking – scrambling to reach a new consensus on how to handle the monster 'threat.' This kind of distrust is exactly what Chara had feared.

Yet, despite everything, there were still many humans who supported peace with monsters. Frisk's adventure to save them had become something of a legend. People wrote all kinds of stories about it. They collected cards. They sang songs. They bought plush dolls of Toriel. They wore replicas of Frisk's shirt, and some guy even made a video game based off of it. All that love for monsters wasn't going to die so easily.

Still, Boaris had challenged that love severely. Even the ones who loved monsters needed to know that they weren't a threat to the world. They needed to be convinced that it didn't have to come down to humans or monsters.

It was complicated.

As they waited for the politics to play out, it didn't seem there was much either side could do. Frisk kept pleading for peace and freedom, while Malcom demanded safety and security. Humanity was once again divided on the issue of humans and monsters.

Chara yawned and stretched her arms. It was just before dawn, so they might as well have stayed up. "Sorry to wake all of you," she apologized.

"Hey, Chara," Frisk said, "before school starts," he blushed, "maybe we could get in another date? Later today?"

"I have plans, actually," she answered.

"Let me guess, more training with Undyne?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm getting better with every session."

"Good," Flowey said. "I can't wait for the day where you rip Malcom to pieces with your magic!"

Chara laughed. "I look forward to that day as well."

"Can I come with you?" Frisk asked.

"But, Frisk, you hate fighting."

"Chara, I'm not  _that_ straight-laced. It's fine as long as you're not trying to kill each other. It'll be like watching an anime, with you in it! I want to see how strong you've gotten!"

She smiled. "In that case, I suppose there's no harm in it."

"Do be careful," Toriel said.

"Yeah, don't worry," Chara replied. "I promise I won't punch any more mirrors."

"Yes, I would hope so. Anyway, I believe we have spent more than enough time in this bathroom. Let us proceed. I shall prepare breakfast shortly. I was thinking pancakes."

Chara perked up. "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

Toriel smiled. "Perhaps…"

She quickly started walking. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Frisk smiled. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Yeah, me too."

They got ready for the rest of the day.

* * *

"You're gonna have to try harder than that!"

With sweat pouring down her face, Chara dodged another flurry of spears. Undyne wasn't giving her a chance to catch her breath.

Chara conjured another set of energy knives. Each of them glowed with a faint, gray light as she positioned them all around Undyne. She sent them all flying towards her. Undyne deftly repelled each one with her spears, and the magic scattered all around the walls of Alphys's lab. One knife flew right by Alphys herself.

Alphys squealed. "H-hey! Careful!"

Undyne laughed inside her helmet. "Sorry, dear!"

Chara shot another knife straight at her. She ducked as the blade was sent flying right back at her. She could feel the magic's heat as it flew right over her head. Damn, that was too close.

Undyne held her spear against her hip and charged forward. Chara summoned another knife in her left hand, and they clashed. Undyne spun her spear around and swung upward. Chara parried the strike and threw a fireball from her right hand. Undyne swiped it to the side and solidly kicked Chara in the stomach, staggering her.

Undyne swiftly followed up with a paralysis spell, disabling Chara's ability to walk. At least she finally had a chance to breathe. She glanced at Undyne. She looked so menacing in that armor. She cast spears all around Chara. Chara raised her knife in response and prepared to deflect.

"You need to cast a barrier!" Undyne shouted. "That tiny knife isn't going to block everything!"

Barrier, that was the one spell Chara was having trouble with. She hated that spell. It was the same spell that had imprisoned the monsters, albeit on a much smaller scale, of course. Regardless, the mere mention of Barrier left a sour taste in her mouth.

Undyne sent her spears flying from all around her. Chara did her best to deflect all of them with her knife. She repelled several before one behind her got too close. She tried to jump out of the way, only to stumble over and fall on the ground. As she laid helplessly on the floor, Undyne positioned a fresh volley of spears above her, all glowing that faint gray light Chara had learned to fear.

The color a magic attack glowed determined its properties. White attacks were standard projectiles. Light blue attacks could be avoided by remaining still, but tended to be either larger or cheaper to cast. Orange attacks were the same, except they required motion to avoid instead of inertness. Green projectiles were healing spells, and gray projectiles…

"N-no, please…" Chara panted. "Have mercy."

Undyne showed none. The first spear went through.

"Heh…"

And another.

"Heh, heh… U-Undnye, please, not with Frisk here…"

Undyne sent all her gray spears through Chara's body. She tried to resist with all her determination.

"Pffft, U-Undyne, haha, s-stop, ahaha… ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!"

Undyne laughed. "I think it's safe to say you're dead now."

Chara rolled on the floor, laughing involuntarily. "Haha, d-damn it, Undyne! Th-that's enough!"

Undyne glanced at Frisk and Flowey. "What you do you think? Should we show her mercy?"

"I'm just here to enjoy the show," Flowey said.

Frisk smiled. "I don't know. Maybe wait a little longer, just to be safe."

"F-Frisk!" Chara cried. "I thought you had my baaaaaaa..."

As Undyne kept striking her with tickle magic, Frisk sat down next to her. "Your laughter is so beautiful," he said.

"Hahaha, F-Frisk! H-help me!"

"Help you? What's in it for me?"

"Oh, you k-know I'll m-make it worth your wh-while!"

"Go on…"

"S-something I k-know you'll like!"

Frisk grinned. "All right, Undyne. I think she's had enough."

"Aw, you're too easy, Frisk!" Undyne teased.

Frisk playfully shrugged. "What can I say? I just can't resist her."

"Fine." Undyne destroyed her spears and undid the paralysis spell, ending Chara's torment. She got back up.

She smiled. "Thanks, Frisk."

He smiled back. "No problem!" He noticed something on her face. "Oh, you have some of that stuff on your eyes again."

"Ah, damn it." She wiped the tar off her eyes. It always happened when she used magic. There wasn't  _too_  much, thankfully.

Frisk winked flirtatiously. "So, where's my reward?"

"Hey, don't tell me that's the  _only_ reason you saved me! I will not be objectified!"

Frisk laughed. "Hey, I don't even know what my reward is."

She smirked. "Oh, but I think you do…"

Chara took Frisk in her arms and kissed him. She locked his lower lip between her lips, and she sensually brushed her tongue over it. Frisk blushed. That was a bit more than he was used to.

"Wh-whoa," Frisk breathed. "I wasn't expecting  _that_."

She suddenly felt like that may have been a mistake. Should she have asked first? "U-umm, did you not like it?"

He smiled. "Oh, I liked it. I was just surprised, that's all."

She smiled back. "In that case, you're welcome." She hugged him. "I really wanted to win for you, Frisk."

"Aw, it's okay. I was still impressed! It's only been a few weeks, and you're already casting magic like a pro!"

"Haha, thank you."

"Tell me about it," Undyne said. "It usually takes humans  _years_  to get this good!"

Chara blushed. "You flatter me."

Alphys took a break from her computer. "Seriously! A human learning magic this quickly isn't just rare; it's unheard of! Even other red SOULs don't normally attune as fast as yours!"

Chara thought that over. "Huh, does this have something to do with my, uh, unique body?"

Alphys nodded. "Y-yeah. It, uh, seems like it. I analyzed the sample of 'tar' that you gave me. It appears to be, um, a sort of magical waste product."

That made sense. "Ah, so that's why it happens whenever I use magic."

"W-well, it's not that simple. It also leaks out when you experience extreme stress or anger. You have a perfectly functional human body, but it seems that there is some kind of energy, comprised of both magic and determination, keeping it that way. If it weren't for this energy, then… uh, well, every cell in your body would immediately perish."

Ouch.

"Uh, anyway," Alphys said, "it's safe to assume this is why you're such a natural with magic. B-but, you have to be careful! If your EN, your ENERGY, ever reaches zero, you will die."

Chara nodded. "Treat ENERGY as critically as HIT POINTS. Got it."

Frisk frowned. "Yeah, be careful, Chara."

"Don't do anything stupid," Flowey said.

"Using magic consumes EN," Alphys explained. "It regenerates over time, but don't overexert yourself. For most mages, running out of EN simply means they have to rest, but in your case, your body wouldn't have any EN left to sustain itself."

"I understand," Chara replied.

Alphys started to sweat. "Aw, man. This sounds like a set up for one of those sacrifice scenes."

Frisk held her hand. "Chara, no hero stuff, okay?"

She wasn't going to leave him so easily. She saluted. " _Ryōkai!_ "

Alphys laughed.  _"Yoi!_ "

Frisk scratched his head. "Uh, is that a yes?"

" _Hai!_ " Chara happily answered.

Undyne scoffed. "Nerds."

Chara giggled. "Hey, thanks for training me, Undyne."

She took off her helmet and smiled. "No problem! It reminds me of the old days when Asgore used to train me."

Ah, Father. Chara hadn't seen him in a while. She hoped he was doing well, aside from the political turmoil... Yeah, he was probably going through hell.

"Hey, Chara," Undyne said, "have I told you the story of how I finally beat Asgore?"

"Well, not to me personally, but I was present when you told Frisk about it."

"Ah, that's right," Undyne said. "You were inside his head. What was that like, anyway?"

"You know, I kind of miss it," Frisk said. "It was cool having her as a ghost guardian buddy."

"Yeah," Undyne said, "I can see how that'd be cool, but I'm sure you prefer, well, being able to touch her."

Chara and Frisk both blushed a little. "Well, yeah," Chara admitted.

Frisk laughed. "I didn't even know her name back then. She refused to tell me, so I just called her 'Voice.'"

Chara snickered. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't tell anyone your name, either. We all just called you 'the human.'"

"Haha, yeah. Back then, we refused to even tell each other our actual names." He grinned. "And now we make out."

Chara laughed. "Yes, we've come a long way, haven't we?"

Undyne grinned. "Yeah, Alphys and I have come a long way, too. I'm glad she finally stopped fawning over Asgore and told me how she felt!"

Alphys blushed. "It wasn't  _that_  serious!"

"So, anyway," Undyne said, "it took me a long time to finally beat Asgore, so I'm sure you'll surpass me too, Chara. You know, eventually. I am pretty awesome, after all!"

"Y-yeah," Alphys said. "You just need to work on that Barrier."

Chara's face scrunched up in disgust. "I hate that spell."

Undyne chuckled. "I never thought you would be the type to let your feelings get in the way."

"Hey! I'm actually a  _very_ emotional person! Did you not see me kiss Frisk just a minute ago?"

"I can vouch that it was indeed very emotional!" Frisk said without shame.

"Yeah," Undyne said. "You really like Frisk, don't you? Well, what if someone tries to hurt him? You're gonna want to have that Barrier spell down if that happens."

Chara frowned. "Yes, I suppose so."

An idea seemed to form in Undyne's head. "Hey, Frisk, mind giving Chara a little motivation?"

_Wait, what?_

Frisk nodded. "Sure, I'm no stranger to this."

"Stand still, okay?" Undyne summoned another spear in her hand, glowing blue with a white aura, and she pointed it at Frisk.

Chara's red eyes widened. "U-Undyne, no! I can't! I'm not ready!"

Undyne ignored her. She pulled back her arm, and she threw the spear.

_Frisk!_

Chara focused all her energy on protecting Frisk. A white wall flickered in front of him, but it didn't stay. The spear went through, and it flew right by Frisk's head. It impacted the wall and shattered.

Frisk held his chest and breathed heavily. He hadn't been hit, but… Undyne didn't remember that she had killed Frisk before.

"Um, you okay, Frisk?" Undyne asked. "I swear I missed on purpose."

Chara wanted to be angry with Undyne, but she couldn't. All she could feel was a sense of worthlessness for being unable to save Frisk. She was so sick of being powerless to protect the ones she loved.

Undyne looked at her. "H-hey, it's okay! You'll get it! You  _almost_ had it! You just gotta practice!"

"Would Malcom care if I need practice?" she spat. "Would Nora stop to give me combat lessons before tearing Frisk apart right in front of me? When they make their next move, I need to be ready."

"And you will!" Undyne said. "You've got time; I think!"

Chara stretched out her hands and concentrated with all her strength. She looked at Frisk and imagined Nora aiming a gun at his head. She channeled all of her desire to protect him, A wall of white light flickered in front of him, but it quickly died out.

She tried again, and again. Tar was pouring down her face, but she kept trying. Frisk had done so much for her, and now she needed to get stronger, for him.

"Chara, enough!" Frisk ran to her side.

"I can do this!" she said. "I will not be useless any longer! Soon, it will be my turn to protect you, so…"

She tried again. The barrier actually stayed solid for a full second before collapsing. Chara collapsed with it.

Frisk caught her. "Hey! Alphys  _just_  told you to be careful"

"Yeah, what the hell?!" Flowey yelled. "You  _just_  said no hero stuff!"

She coughed up blood and tar. "I'm… I'm okay." She checked her stats. She had five EN remaining, five out of one hundred. So, even with that much power, she couldn't protect him.

Frisk held her. "Don't do this to yourself. You don't have to hurt yourself for me."

"Frisk," she whispered, "you've saved me in more ways than one, but all I've done is whine and have nightmares. Malcom is going to start a war, and I can't do a damn thing about it. I'm sick of being powerless. I… I need to do something!"

Frisk frowned. "Chara, this is hurting me, too. I have the power to turn back time, but even I couldn't stop Boaris. Do you know how that feels? I used to think I could correct any mistake, but that's just not true. I'm the World Master, yet I feel just as powerless as you do."

She clenched her fists. "Then, what will we do?"

Frisk held her cheek. "I don't know, but we'll find out together, okay?"

Chara felt herself calm down. "Yeah. No matter what, we'll both protect each other."

Undyne sighed. "Man, you two are so dramatic."

"Oh? What's your solution, then?" Chara asked. "How do we stop this war?"

She smiled. "That's easy! If a war does break out, I'll just get seven SOULs, which shouldn't be a problem for me since I'm so badass! Once I have them, I won't  _kill_ anyone! I'll just use those SOULs to  _make_ everyone stop fighting and be friends!"

Chara laughed. "You know, that actually isn't the worst idea."

When Chara made her plan to sacrifice herself for Asriel, she had thought of something similar to Undyne's idea. If Asriel had allowed it, they could have used their power to subjugate humanity rather than destroy them. However, Chara wasn't even willing to take  _that_  risk. Humans would not have taken kindly to having a foreign god rule over them. Humans were also stupid. They could have killed a lot of monsters before they were stopped, even though it would have been suicide. In the end, Chara had decided that it wasn't worth it. She had decided that it was better to just kill them.

If only Chara had realized how much of a hypocrite she was. Killing those humans would have made her no better than they were. She understood that now. Thanks to Asriel, who gave his life and made the right decision. And, thanks to Frisk, who never wanted to fight back no matter how many times he died. Thanks to them, she had changed, and she would learn to live with her mistakes.

"H-hey," Alphys said. "Umm, I know how to lighten the mood! Let's watch an anime together! Uh, I mean, if you want."

Frisk smiled. "Sure! I think we could all use a break. What anime were you thinking of?"

"Umm… how about… there's this old one called  _Re:ZERO_ that I think you'd like! It's about this guy who's like a World Master, except it only triggers when he dies, and he can't control where his SAVE points are. He also can't tell anyone about his power, so it can be a bit agonizing to watch him struggle while he can't explain to his friends why he's suffering, and–"

Chara laughed. "All right, Alphys! I'm sold!"

"It's not all doom and gloom though," she went on. "Even though he can't properly explain what he's seen, the main character's friends do their best to support him, and it's really sweet! The characters are all so great!  _Especially_  Rem! Seriously, I have  _no idea_  why he wants Emilia when Rem is so–"

Undyne shushed her. "Alphys, you're gonna spoil the whole thing again!"

"R-right, sorry. Let's just watch it!"

Frisk nodded. " _Hai!_ "

* * *

"Ah!"

Frisk clung to Chara's arm during a particularly gruesome scene.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Chara teased. "You said you could handle this."

"B-but…  _Ah_!" Frisk squeezed her arm tight as Subaru's neck was torn open by someone he cared about.

Even Chara whimpered. "Okay, that was brutal."

"I can  _really_ relate to this guy," Frisk said. "He just wants to be their friend and help them, but…"

Chara massaged his shoulders. "Relax, it's okay. I'm here."

"Yeah... Oh, that feels good..."

"You're welcome!"

They had been watching the anime all night. The show was displayed on Alphys's big monitor, which they all watched on a sofa that Alphys had placed. Chara glanced at the others. Flowey had fallen asleep in his flower pot. Undyne and Alphys had also fallen asleep, with Alphys curled up next to Undyne. Their magic training session had turned into an impromptu double date night. Frisk called Toriel to let her know they were going to spend the night there. He promised to come home first thing in the morning.

Chara and Frisk watched the next scene where Subaru woke up back at his checkpoint. For the first time, he tried to explain his situation to Emilia, but some kind of dark force wouldn't let him.

Frisk frowned. "He has it worse than I did. All those deaths, and he can't even tell anyone about it. In a way, he's all alone."

"Yeah," Chara said. "To be honest, I think he's a bit too much of a crybaby, but he really has it rough."

Frisk looked at her. "Chara, I'm so glad you were there for me. I never wanted to tell any of the monsters about my reset power, so I'm grateful that I had at least one person who understood what I was going through."

She blushed. "It was nothing."

"It meant  _a lot_ to me," Frisk said. "I know you feel like you owe me for everything I've done for you, but you don't realize how much you've already done for me. I don't know if I could have gotten through the underground without you."

"Oh, of course you could have. You're strong, Frisk."

He smiled. "Either way, I'm still glad you were there. I would have felt kind of alone without you."

"Y-yeah." Tears started to well up in her eyes. Damn it.

"H-hey, what's wrong?"

She wiped her eyes and smiled. "Nothing. I'm just… I'm so happy that we're a thing."

Frisk wrapped his arm around her. "Yeah, me too. I can't imagine being with anyone else."

Frisk was always so warm. She snuggled against his shoulder. "Oh, Frisk. If you hadn't met me, I'm sure someone else would have made you very happy."

"Well, maybe," Frisk said, "but I did meet you. Perhaps it's a bit soon to say this, but I really think you're the one for me."

It warmed Chara's SOUL to hear that, but she became curious about something. "Hey, Frisk, may I ask you something personal?"

"Anything, Chara."

"Have you ever had feelings for anyone besides me? Probably nothing serious, considering your age, but…"

"Yeah," he said. "Like you said, it wasn't serious, but… I actually had a thing with someone right before I climbed Mount Ebott."

"Oh? Do you… want to talk about it?"

"Her name was Paula," Frisk said. "She was a friend from school. I told you how not everyone treated me well because of my red SOUL, but Paula was always so nice to me." He smiled. "She told me that everyone was missing out on the best catch in school over a stupid prejudice."

"Haha, they really were."

"We had a lot of fun together. She had a great sense of humor, she didn't mind that I flirted with everyone, she was almost as pretty as you, and she seemed like a great person."

" _Seemed_  like?"

Frisk frowned. "When I became the World Master, when I told her that I wanted to climb Mount Ebott, she said I was insane. She always defended my red SOUL, but apparently, that sense of equality didn't extend to monsters."

Chara felt so angry for him. "Wow, there's the kind of human I hate."

Frisk's red eyes were full of pain. "I argued with her, and she–"

She stopped him. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He shook his head. "it's fine. I want to get this off my chest."

She nodded. "All right."

"Like most people, she argued that monsters were a threat to humanity, but I could tell that was just an excuse. She simply hated them. It was the exact opposite of how she treated me. I… I didn't even know who she was anymore."

Chara held his hand.

"I wouldn't back down," Frisk said. "I told Paula that I was going to Mount Ebott no matter what she thought of it. She yelled at me, demanding me to stay. She told me that as soon as I set foot on that mountain, then… everything between us was over."

Chara frowned. "I'm sorry. That must have hurt."

He nodded. "Yes, it did. I wouldn't say that I ever fell in love with her, but I did like her a lot. It sucked to lose her."

"I hope this doesn't offend you, but… I don't think she ever truly cared about you. If you ask me, she just wanted to control you."

Frisk sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Have you ever talked to her since? Wait, stupid question. I was in your head. I would know."

Frisk shook his head. "No, but I recently heard that she's dating Jeff now."

Chara scoffed. "That jerk we met at the MTT Resort? They sound perfect for each other."

"Heh, maybe, but... it's sad how a few small things can ruin something, you know? It only took one little decision to break us apart. Well, I guess it wasn't a 'little' decision. By climbing that mountain, I changed the entire world, so it  _was_ kind of a big deal. Still, just a single disagreement, and it was all over."

Chara looked into his eyes. "If she was really your friend, she wouldn't have discarded you so easily. You deserve better than her."

Frisk stared back and smiled. "Yes, I did."

She held his hands. "I won't leave you so easily. Chances are, we shall not share the same opinion on everything, but I won't let that come between us. Because I… I know that you're a wonderful person, and you always strive to do the right thing. I love you, Frisk."

Frisk's cheeks turned pink like hers. "I love you too, Chara." He closed his eyes and kissed her, mirroring the kiss she had given him earlier. Chara felt the tip of his tongue sweep across her lip, making her heart pound.

She took a deep breath. "Frisk…"

He pulled back. "Hey, what about you? Have you ever had feelings for anyone else?"

Even though she should have expected it, Chara was startled. "U-umm… well, I may have had just the  _tiniest_ crush on… I mean, it was just a stupid childhood–"

Frisk laughed. "It's okay. You can tell me. I promise I won't judge you."

She gulped. "Once, I sort of, kind of liked… Asriel…"

He didn't look all that surprised. "Did you ever tell him?"

"Y-yes…"

"What did he say?"

"He said… we work best as siblings."

Frisk held her shoulder. "Were you okay?"

Chara sighed. "Yeah, I was okay. He was right. We're better as best friends." She held her heart locket. "Best friends forever. Besides, he would have outlived me anyway. If we hadn't died, I mean. You know, the whole boss monster thing."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, like what happened to Boaris's daughter. Unless they have children, I guess death is something boss monsters have to get used to."

"He also just, well, wasn't into humans that way…"

"Haha, I can't blame him for that."

"Heh, yeah. Aside from that, I do find it sad that he'd outlive anyone who isn't another boss monster."

"Yeah," Frisk agreed. "From their perspective, any relationship they have is fleeting. It must have been hard for Toriel and Asgore to watch so many generations pass by."

Chara nodded sadly. "Yes, they are no strangers to death. Almost everyone they knew back from before the war is gone. At least Gerson is still kicking. That old turtle just won't die. He's an honorary boss monster."

Frisk laughed. "Sorry, it's just… aren't we a little young to worry about immortality?"

"Not me. I'm over one hundred, remember?"

"Oh, you can consider yourself fifteen at the oldest."

She shrugged. "Well, almost everyone I knew from 201X is dead, so in that sense…"

Frisk whimpered. "Right, I'm sorry… Is there anyone you miss from back then?"

"No humans, obviously."

"Not even… your parents? I know what you said about them, but…"

Chara averted her eyes. "My parents… they were already dead when I climbed the mountain." She grimaced. She didn't want to think about them. "Sorry, I don't feel like unpacking that right now."

Frisk nodded in understanding. "All right, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

"Thank you, Frisk."

"What about monsters? I know you miss Asriel being his normal self, but is there anyone else?"

"Uh… I kind of miss Gaster."

"Gaster?" Frisk asked. "Who was Gaster?"

Chara was surprised. "You haven't heard of him? He was the royal scientist before Alphys. He's best known for his invention of the Core. That facility forever changed the underground and made it just a bit more livable. Many monsters may very well owe Gaster their lives."

"Huh, weird. I never heard of him."

"Mother had Gaster tutor me for a while," Chara said. "Basic things like math, science, and monster history. He was pretty cool. I learned a lot from him. He had some creepy hands, though."

Frisk smiled. "But Chara, I thought you liked creepy things."

Chara held out her hands. "Frisk, you don't understand. He had  _holes_ in his  _hands_." She traced a circle around the palm of her left hand. "I mean, monsters have some crazy physiology, but this was the stuff of nightmares, even for me!"

"Haha! Okay, I'll take your word for it."

Chara smiled warmly, and she rested her head on Frisk's lap. "Damn, how long have we been chatting?"

Frisk lovingly stroked her hair. "Yeah, this actually turned out to be a really nice date."

"Yes, it's been wonderful talking to you." She yawned. She was getting tried. She was always tired. Lately, she dreaded going to sleep every night. "Frisk… I haven't had good sleep in weeks. May I sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course, Chara. I love cuddling with you."

"I know, it's just... I can't rely on you for everything. I love you, but I don't want to be your damsel-in-distress."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with asking for help. You're not useless, Chara. You're strong."

She blushed. "But, are we moving too fast? Even just the fact that we live in the same house is kind of weird."

"Probably," Frisk admitted, "but that's okay, because we  _are_ weird."

"Ha! That's a good point! Still, I don't want to bother you  _every_ night."

"What about Asriel?" Frisk asked. "Doesn't he sleep in your room?"

"Yeah, but..." She smirked. "It's not the same as being wrapped in the warmth of your sexy body."

He laughed. "Don't let Asriel hear that."

"Haha, he does help. Nothing makes the dreams any less painful, but it helps knowing I have you and Asriel to wake up to."

Frisk smiled. "I'm happy to help you."

Frisk's lap was a great pillow. Chara felt her eyes droop and yawned again. "All right, let's get some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight, Chara."

"'Night, my Frisk."

Together, they quickly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "EN" is actually a stat cut from Undertale's early development. As described here, it would have functioned as your mana for casting spells. Source: the official Undertale art book.


	24. Players and Pawns

" **Yeah, you're right. No! I'd never doubt you, Chara. Never! Y... yeah!"**

**-Asriel Dreemurr**

* * *

Felicia decided to confide her suspicions to her parents. They met in her bedroom while Flora stood guard outside. Hopefully, it was secure.

"Mother, Father," Felicia said, "I think I know who's trying to kill me."

"Already?" Father asked.

"Who?" Mother asked.

"It's Nora," Felicia confidently said.

Mother nodded. "Yes, she's a likely suspect."

Father didn't look so sure. "Nora? She's just a child."

"I know it's her," Felicia said. "Among several other suspicious actions, she didn't even care when Jacob died. She  _laughed_ when he was poisoned. It has to be her."

Father still wasn't convinced. "How could a fourteen-year-old convince Kawasaki to kill you?"

"W-well, umm…"

"True," Mother said. "Nora is likely not the mastermind behind this plot. However, I still believe it's possible that she's involved somehow."

"Y-yes!" Felicia said. "Thank you, Mother!"

"Thank you?" Mother echoed. "Felicia, you sound like you  _want_  it to be Nora."

She averted her eyes. "Well, it would be better than someone like Nate."

"I don't see how it could be anyone other than John or Eva," Father said. "Rest assured, those two will be investigated thoroughly. And Felicia, until we figure this out, you need to stay safe."

Felicia grit her teeth. "No! I will not cower behind this mansion while someone is trying to hurt us!"

"Felicia…"

"I can help! Let me investigate Nora!"

"No, you will stay–"

Mother cut him off. "I say we let her do what she wants."

Father looked at her in disbelief. "Elizabeth! Our daughter is being hunted! We cannot allow her to–"

"Felicia can take care of herself," Mother said. "She's the World Master. Even if she does die, she can come back stronger. Whoever's trying to kill her has lost their mind."

"Those deaths aren't making her stronger! They're  _hurting_ her! Can't you see that?"

"I'm fine!" Felicia insisted.

"Look at yourself," Father said. "This isn't you, Felicia. You never want to hurt anyone."

"I never want to hurt anyone  _innocent_ ," she said. "These killers are  _not_ innocent. They killed Jacob. Anyone who murderers an innocent  _ten-year-old_  deserves worse than death."

"Even so, you aren't the type to seek revenge."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't I deserve revenge?"

Father looked very disturbed. "I understand that you're angry, but you can't let that control you. I want this killer brought to justice, but I won't let that come at the cost of who you are."

"Perhaps you don't know me as well as you thought," Felicia coldly said. "Since when have I ever allowed anyone to control me?  _Nobody_  tells me what to do.  _You_  should know that better than anyone."

He was both hurt and enraged. "Even now, you won't listen to a word I say?! I'm only trying to protect you, Felicia!"

She stared him down willfully. "I don't need your protection."

Mother held Father's shoulder. "Booker, she'll be fine. The sooner we can find this killer, the better."

He shook his head. "You're both crazy."

Felicia folded her arms. "I have the power to turn back time, and you don't think I can handle a few assassins? I thought orange SOULs were supposed to be brave, but you're a pathetic coward!"

Father's orange eyes were filled with hopelessness. "You're right about one thing. Nobody tells you want to do." He turned to leave. "Fine, I see that I can't stop you. Go look for this killer, but next time you or someone you love dies, I beg you to reconsider. This is a job for the Military Police, not a child."

Father left the room. Felicia could only feel relief.

She hugged her mother. "Thank you. I know we have our differences, but thank you for standing up for me on this."

Mother hugged back. "I know you can handle this, Felicia. Contrary to what your father believes, you're not a child anymore. It's time you took matters such as these into your own hands."

"I couldn't agree more, Mother."

"Just remember, you're not alone. We're all in this together. Anyone who harms a Malcom does not go unpunished."

Felicia smiled. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel. I'm so glad you understand me."

Mother pat her on the back and let go. "Nora should be an excellent lead. You may investigate her however you see fit."

She nodded. "I will."

"I know you'll make me proud. I love you, Felicia."

"I love you too, Mother."

Mother left the room. Felicia soon followed.

Outside, Flora stopped her. "Felicia, what happened? Your father looked extremely displeased as he left."

"We had a disagreement," Felicia said, "but he'll get over it."

"I… I see," Flora replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what was it about?"

"Just how to deal with this murder business," she answered. "Speaking of that, I need to go to the Millers' residence."

"You intend to investigate this matter yourself?"

Felica nodded. "That's right."

Flora didn't look very happy about it, but she bowed in compliance. "Very well. I shall escort you there immediately."

"Thank you, Flora."

Flora led Felicia outside.

* * *

They arrived at the Millers' mansion. It wasn't as large or impressive as her own family's estate, but it still carried a strong sense of opulence and elegance. Felicia updated her SAVE file, and she went inside, keeping Flora close just in case.

She spoke with John and Eva at the entrance. They expressed their sympathy for recent events, but that didn't mean they were being sincere. As Father said, those two were among the most likely suspects. However, Felicia wasn't going to focus on them just yet. For now, she was only concerned with one person.

Felicia said that she came to see Nora.

Eva looked surprised. "Nora? I thought you were here to see Nate."

"I'll see him too," Felicia replied, "but I want to see Nora first."

"Well, all right," John said. "She's in her room. Nate's in his room as well.

Felicia thanked them and excused herself. She was already familiar with their mansion. Flora accompanied her to Nora's room. Felicia knocked on her door.

"Nora? It's me."

"Felicia?" Nora opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Felicia said. "May I come in?"

"Umm, okay." She let her in. Flora waited outside.

"This is about Kawasaki, isn't it?" Nora asked.

No point in denying it. "Yes," Felicia said. "I was wondering if you could help me figure out what's going on."

"I really have no idea," Nora claimed. "I did some digging, and I know that Kawasaki was always loyal to your parents. Perhaps he believed you were a threat to their legacy or something."

"Why? Because of the monster thing?"

"Uh, yes… because of…  _that_ …" Nora didn't even try to hide her own distaste of it.

Felicia was so sick of this. Her parents, the scientists, Nora… they just never got tired of telling her all about how dangerous monsters were. It was getting old. Were monsters really so  _god damn terrifying?_  Why couldn't anyone just agree with her? The person who came closest to agreeing with her was Nate, though he didn't feel as strongly about it as she did. Even her own brother held more of a neutral opinion on the matter. How  _did_  Felicia end up holding completely different beliefs from her parents? Maybe she was just a natural rebel.

But enough of that. She had to focus. You know what? Why not accuse her directly? "Nora, by that logic, you could be trying to kill me too."

Of course, Nora denied it. "What? Felicia, I would never hurt you!"

"Give me one good reason I should believe that."

Nora contemptuously shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that trying to convince Kawasaki to poison your meal would have most likely led to my arrest?"

"Sure," Felicia said, "you probably couldn't have done that alone. I'm not saying you're the  _only_ Miller involved."

"You're accusing my entire family now?!"

"You have more motive than anyone. Who else could it be?"

"Maybe it's  _your_ family!" Nora cried. "Ever thought about  _that_? Maybe your parents couldn't take your rebellious nature anymore, and when you became World Master, they snapped!"

How dare she?! "If it's not you, then why did you laugh when Jacob was poisoned?"

That got her. "Huh? What? I don't remember."

"Kawasaki didn't kill me first," Felicia said. "He killed Jacob, and when he was poisoned, you  _laughed_. Sure, you acted a little more broken up when he started coughing up blood, but until then, his pain was funny to you."

"I… I probably just didn't think it was serious," Nora said. "I probably said something like 'Oh, he'll be fine.' I just didn't want to worry about it, that's all. I wanted to be positive. Honestly, do you expect me to cry over every little cold?"

Felicia wasn't buying it. "When I reset to save Jacob, you tried to help Kawasaki kill him again. You finished your tea quickly and asked for refills, giving him another chance to poison him."

"Or, maybe, I just like tea?"

She still wasn't buying it. "All right, then explain this. Every time Kawasaki killed me, you always seemed to know it would happen before anyone else. You screamed before he even pulled out his knife, and you'd even run into the kitchen just before he killed me. It's almost as if you were signaling him."

"N-no!" Nora exclaimed. "I was doing no such thing!"

"Then what were you doing?"

"I… I don't know," she said. "But, I know I felt something really strange back then, just before you killed Kawasaki. I still don't fully understand it, but I just had some kind of  _feeling_."

Felicia scoffed. "Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

"It's true!" Nora said. "I read about it! I think it's some kind of sensing magic. They say purple SOULs trained in magic have the ability to sense danger. I think I have murder senses or something."

"Wait, you know magic?"

"Well, sort of," she said. "For a while now, it's been my dream to be a warrior mage, so I've been practicing by myself. I can only create a small fireball so far, but it's progress."

Huh, Felicia didn't know that, but it didn't matter. Felicia could see that she wasn't going to get much more out of her. If Nora was guilty, there was no way she was going to give up any real information.

However, perhaps there was someone else Felicia could use. Someone who Nora trusted.

"Felicia," Nora said, "I  _do_  want to figure this out. Now, I won't lie. I  _can_ understand why someone would want to kill you, but I still think it's wrong. I want to help you."

Felicia felt just a hint of sorrow. "I wish I could believe you."

"I'm not lying. Lying's never been my style. You know me. When I have a problem with someone, I tell it how it is."

Felicia just couldn't believe her. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

"...Nora, it's probably best you don't remember this conversation."

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia went inside the Miller's residence, keeping Flora close just in case.

She spoke with John and Eva at the entrance. They expressed their sympathy for recent events, but that didn't mean they were being sincere. As Father said, those two were among the most likely suspects. However, Felicia wasn't going to focus on them just yet. For now, she was only concerned with one person.

Felicia said that she came to see Nate.

Eva nodded. "Yes, that's what I figured. He's in his room."

John checked something on his phone. "Felicia, you reset again?"

_Damn it! I forgot they can track them._

John sighed. "You know what? I don't even want to know."

_Phew! That was close. I probably shouldn't push my luck, though._

Felicia thanked them. She ordered Flora to stay behind, and she went to Nate's room. She knocked on his door.

"Nate? It's me."

"Felicia?" Nate opened the door.

She smiled. "Hi, Nate. May I come in?"

"Uh, sure." He let her in. "Are you doing okay?"

Felicia closed the door behind her. "I need your help," she said.

"How can I help?"

This wasn't going to be easy. Nate cared about his sister a lot. Felicia knew he was going to have a hard time accepting that Nora was a murderer, but Felicia would do whatever it took to convince him.

She laid it on him as gently as she could. "Nate, I need you to watch Nora for me."

He didn't seem to catch her drift. "Watch her? What do you mean?"

"I need you watch for anything suspicious."

"Wait, you want me to spy on her?"

"Yes, that's the idea."

Nate didn't look happy. "Don't tell me you think Nora has something to do with all this."

"You didn't see what I saw." Felicia told him every suspicious thing that she witnessed Nora do.

"But, she wouldn't!" Nate whined.

"Then how do you explain everything I told you?" Felicia asked. "Why did she laugh when Jacob was poisoned? How did she always know that Kawasaki was about to kill me?"

Nora had given her reasons, but Nate didn't need to know that.

Nate offered no logical explanation. Instead, he kept repeating that Nora wasn't a murderer.

"She's not?" Felicia echoed. "Then I'm sure you will have no problem proving that to me."

He shook his head. "No, this isn't right. This is wrong. Nora is innocent."

"Don't be an idiot!" Felicia shouted. "Nora doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about any of us! You heard the things she's said. She'd do anything to destroy monsterkind once and for all!"

Nate sobbed like a sniveling coward. "N-no, you're wrong."

Felicia lost her patience. "Do you not trust me?"

"What? Of course I trust you! But, I trust Nora too!"

"I don't think so. It sounds like Nora is more important to you than I am."

"No! Don't say that! You're  _both_ important to me!"

Felicia gave him a cold stare. "People are trying to kill me, and you won't even do this one little thing to protect me. Perhaps I was wrong about you, and about us."

That one hit him where it hurt. "Felicia!"

She turned back to the door. "I see we have nothing more to discuss. Goodbye, Nate."

He stopped her. "Wait! I'm sorry! I'll… I'll do it…"

Felicia smiled, and she hugged him. "Nora's trying to hurt me. You won't let her hurt me, will you?"

Nate hugged back. "No, I'd never let anyone hurt you, but Nora wouldn't, either. I'll prove that she's innocent!"

"Close enough, I suppose." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Nate. I won't forget this."

Nate held the spot where she kissed him. "U-umm, yeah. No problem."

"But, if you do find out that she's trying to kill me, what will you do?"

"She's not."

"But if she is?"

Nate held her tight. "I… I won't let her hurt you."

Felicia truly enjoyed holding him. She stroked his golden hair. "Nate, when this all blows over, I'd love to spend more time with you."

He was pathetically flustered. "Y-yeah…"

Felicia let go. "All right, I have to go now. See you later, Nate."

"See you soon, Felicia."

Felicia left the room, and she felt sick to her stomach. Did she really just do that?

It wasn't  _completely_ an act. Felicia did have feelings for Nate, but she didn't want it to happen like that. Felicia had cruelly manipulated him, turning him against his own sister. What if Nate was right? What if Nora really was innocent? Felicia may have exploited him for nothing.

No, that was an absurd thought. Nora was guilty, and Felicia knew it. It was obviously the Millers. All the evidence pointed to them. Their name even rhymed with 'killer!' It had to be them! Except Nate, of course. He was just a victim here. Felicia just needed Nate to watch Nora. Nora trusted Nate much more than she trusted Felicia. It was only a matter of time until Nate found something to prove her guilt.

Suddenly, Felicia realized that Flora was waiting right outside the room.

What the hell? "Flora? What are you doing here? I told you to wait for me."

She frowned. "Please forgive me, Felicia. Given your current situation, I simply could not allow you to remain unguarded."

"That's why I needed you to keep an eye on the Millers," Felicia said. That wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the full truth, either. Felicia didn't want Flora to overhear her conversation with Nate. Flora's motherly side could be seriously irritating.

"Oh, of course," Flora replied. "That was a sound strategy. I apologize for doubting you."

Felicia sighed. "All right, but in the future, try to be more patient."

"Yes, patience. I understand."

_Okay, it doesn't seem like she heard, or she just doesn't care. Either one works for me._

Still, her disobedience was suspicious. Kawasaki had betrayed Felicia; was it possible that even Flora could do the same?

 _Ugh, I hate this. I can't trust_ anyone _._

All the more reason she had to prove Nora's guilt. Yes, Felicia just needed to be a little more patient, and the truth would reveal itself.

Felicia returned home.

* * *

The next day, Felicia was in the study, working on some math homework. Apparently, being an assassination target didn't excuse her from school. Would learning how to factor polynomials save her from a bullet? It was so stupid.

Flora entered the study and informed Felicia that Nora demanded to speak with her.

"What about?" Felicia asked.

"She would not say," Flora answered, "but she seemed rather upset."

_Oh, no. Did Nate get caught? I should have known._

Felicia sighed. "Very well. We'll meet in my room."

Flora nodded, and Felicia went to her room. Shortly after, Nora entered.

"Felicia!" Nora shouted. "Did you tell my brother to spy on me? That's a rhetorical question, by the way."

Felicia remained composed. "Mind telling me how you found out?"

"He wasn't subtle at all!" Nora exclaimed. "I caught the little dork watching me from outside my room like a creepy stalker! Then, as innocently as he could manage, he outright asked me if I was trying to kill you!"

_Seriously, why did I trust him with this? Nate's never been known for discretion._

Nora sighed. "I'm not surprised, though. After all the things I've said to you, it's no wonder you'd think I'm involved in this. I understand, but the truth is, I'm not trying to hurt you, Felicia."

_Oh, Nora… No! It's a trick! She's trying to guilt trip me! I won't fall for it!_

"I can tell you don't believe me," Nora said. "Is there anything I can do to convince you that I'm on your side?"

Felicia grew frustrated. How  _could_  she prove it, one way or the other? How could Felicia know whose side Nora was really on? There had to be a way, but what?

Slowly, an evil thought formed in Felicia's head. She couldn't remember where, but she remembered hearing that in a person's last moments, they show you who they really are. Maybe it was from a movie or something, and didn't the villain say it? That wasn't reassuring, but even villains had a point sometimes.

Felicia smiled. "Actually, I think there is something…"

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia went into the kitchen, and she took the sharpest knife she could find, Kawasaki's knife. Now that Kawasaki was dead, it belonged to her now. With the knife in her pocket, Felicia returned to the study.

Flora entered the study and informed Felicia that Nora demanded to speak with her.

"What about?" Felicia asked.

"She would not say," Flora answered, "but she seemed rather upset."

Felicia sighed. "Very well. We'll meet in my room."

Flora nodded, and Felicia went to her room. Felicia gripped the knife in her pocket.

_All right, Nora. Let's see if you can keep up your lies at knifepoint._

Shortly after, Flora entered, looking very confused. "Umm… my apologizes, Felicia. I don't understand why, but Nora suddenly ran away as we approached your room."

_What? Nora… she really does have murder senses!_

This made things a bit more complicated, but it meant Nora  _had_ to be guilty, right? If she were innocent, why would she run away? Felicia was fully convicted now. The only question now was, when and where?

Hmm…

**FILE LOADED**

Flora entered the study and informed Felicia that Nora demanded to speak with her.

"I'm a little busy right now," Felicia said. "Ask her if she'd like to meet me in the field after school tomorrow."

Flora bowed and carried out the order. She quickly returned. "Umm… Nora said, and I quote, 'Sure, whatever.'"

_Good. Looks like she didn't sense anything._

The field they liked to play in was nice and secluded. There would be no interruptions. If she wanted to, Felicia could probably get away with killing her right there. She would just claim it was self-defense, and that wouldn't even be a lie at all.

However, there was one loose end.

"Flora," Felicia said, "this is important. When I go meet Nora, do  _not_ …"

Actually…

Felicia saved her file. It was a longshot, but…

"Flora, I suspect Nora may be involved in the assassination attempts against me. I intent to interrogate her. Will you help me?"

Flora thought it over. "May I suggest subduing and interrogating Kawasaki instead? You could reset and–"

Felicia shook her head. "No, I just want that bastard to stay dead. It has to be Nora."

Hesitantly, Flora nodded. "Very well. I never did care much for her."

_Whoa! I didn't think that'd actually work!_

"Really?" Felicia asked. "I don't plan on being gentle. I'm going to hurt her, Flora. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"I don't like it," Flora said, "but these are extreme circumstances. If such actions are necessary to ensure your safety, so be it."

This was perfect! Now, when Felicia made Nora confess to her crimes, she'd have a witness to back her up.

Almost there.

* * *

The next day couldn't have come fast enough. Felicia waited with Flora in the center of the field that they liked to play in. This time, they were going play a different kind of game.

Felicia felt her black hair sway as the wind blew. It was a nice day. The afternoon sun was shining bright, lighting up the golden flowers. It couldn't have been more dramatically inappropriate. The world didn't seem to care what was about to happen.

"Flora," Felicia said, "you're a mage. What do you know about Nora's sensing abilities?"

"A little," she answered. "Mages with purple SOULs may realize the power to sense a person's killing intent. The effectiveness of this power is dependent on three factors: the skill level of the mage, the intensity of the target's killing intent, and the distance between the mage and the target. It is also possible to defeat this ability simply by concealing your intentions."

"So, as long as I try not to think about how badly I want to stab her, I should be fine?"

"…Yes."

Thar was going to be tough, but Felicia could do it, she hoped.

She finally saw Nora approach. Nate was with her. Felicia grimaced. Why did she have to bring Nate?

As they got closer, Felicia did her best to conceal her hatred as well as her knife. Finally, Nora and Nate stopped just outside of arm's reach. Flora was in plain sight, but Nora didn't seem surprised by her presence. She probably figured that Felicia needed a bodyguard.

"Here we are!" Nora exclaimed. "Now, first of all, I want you to apologize to Nate for what you did! Seriously, I can't believe you could do something so messed up!"

Yes, she owed him that much. She looked him in his yellow eyes. "I'm sorry, Nate. I know it was cruel of me to drag you into this."

"I just want everyone to get along," Nate said.

"So do I," Felicia said, "but I'm afraid Nora has made that impossible."

Nate grimaced. "It's not her, Felicia. She wouldn't lie to me."

Felicia scowled at him. "She's playing you for a fool."

Nora frowned. "I don't blame you, Felicia. I really don't. I know you have every reason to suspect that I'm involved, but I swear I'm not. I want to–"

"Shut up!" Felicia shouted. "I know it's you! You can't fool me! You tried to kill Jacob!"

"Why would I?!" Nora challenged. "Why would I lie? If I wanted to kill you, I'd kill you! And I wouldn't care who found out!"

"You hear that, Nate?!" Felicia screamed. "She's insane! She might as well have just admitted it right there!"

Nate closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were filled with determination. "I've had it!"

"N-Nate?"

"You're  _so_ sure that it's Nora!" Nate yelled. "You're so desperate to prove that it's her fault! You never liked her, and now that everything's gone to hell, you're so quick to point your finger at her! You  _want_ Nora to be the villain! You  _need_ someone to blame! You  _need_ someone to take out all your anger on!"

"N-no, that's not–"

"But we care about her! Mom cares about her! Dad cares about her!  _I_ care about her! And, despite everything, she cares about you!  _You're_ the only one who doesn't care!"

"Nate…"

" _Don't hurt my sister_!"

Felicia sighed. Why did Nora have to bring him? It was obviously part of her manipulative scheme. Felicia wasn't going to let Nora win, no matter what.

"Flora…" she whispered, "freeze him."

Flora whimpered, but she nodded. "As you wish."

Nora jumped. "Wait, what?!"

A burst of cold, white energy shot out from the palm of Flora's hand. It enveloped Nate's body. He shivered, and he was quickly frozen where he stood.

Nora shrieked. "Nate!"

She ran to her brother's side. It wasn't real ice, of course. A human wouldn't survive actually being frozen. Flora's spell only simulated the effects. Nate wasn't even unconscious, just immobile. It was a shame that he still had to watch, but at least it shut him up.

Nora glared at her. "What's wrong with you?!"

Felicia reached for her knife. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Her purple eyes widened. "F-Felicia… you…"

She held out the knife for Nora to see.

Nora started shaking. "Y-you're serious… Oh, God, you're serious…"

Like a predator stalking its prey, Felicia slowly approached her.

"N-no! It's not me, Felicia. It's not me! I swear I have nothing to do with this!"

She kept moving.

"F-Felicia, just put the knife down, okay?"

Felicia moved within arm's reach.

Nora put her hands up. "Felicia, stop! Please!"

Felicia grabbed her and held her knife against her throat. "Why should I believe a word you say?"

"I… I don't know…"

No more playing around. Felicia made her first cut across Nora's arm. Nora winced as her blood began to drip down on the ground.

"Tell me everything," Felicia demanded. "Tell me everyone who's trying to kill me, and this will end."

Tears welled up in Nora's eyes. "I'm on your side, Felicia."

Nora cried out in pain as Felicia made another cut. "I don't believe you."

"L-look at yourself. Look at what you're doing."

She cut her again.

Nora sobbed. "Y-you really want to kill me, don't you? I can feel it. Is that what it will take?"

Felicia stared hatefully at her. "I want to see who you truly are."

She stared back at her with a resigned expression. "All right… If that's what you have to do… kill me."

Felicia grimaced. "It's not the same. You know I'll just reset, don't you? You know you won't  _really_  die."

"Do whatever you want to me," Nora said. "Just don't hurt Nate."

Felicia slammed her fist into her as hard as she could. "You're just a perfect actress, aren't you?!"

Blood and tears ran down Nora's face. "I'm not acting. We're friends."

_Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!_

Felicia stabbed her in the stomach, and Nora coughed up blood. Flora turned pale as she realized how far Felicia was willing to go.

Nora kept looking right at her. "F-Felicia…"

She screamed, and she repeatedly stabbed her in the chest. Nora's SOUL didn't even make it out of her body before it shattered. Her lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Felicia stood over it. Her whole body was covered in Nora's blood.

Felicia gained one hundred EXP. Her LOVE jumped from level two to level four.

Panting, Felicia dropped her knife and collapsed to her knees. Was Nora really telling the truth?

Yes… she was…

Tears streamed down Felicia's face. Nate was right. She just wanted someone to take out all her anger on. She was the only murderer here.

Flora held her shoulder. "Felicia, reset…"

**FILE LOADED**

"Here we are!" Nora exclaimed. "Now, first of all, I… Uh, Felicia?"

She sniffled. "Nora…"

"Umm…"

Crying profusely, Felicia ran to Nora and embraced her. "I'm s-sorry, Nora. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Nora hugged back. "H-hey, I'm not  _that_ mad at you. I honestly don't blame you for–"

"I killed you, Nora."

"What?"

"I... I murdered you. I really thought you were trying to kill me, but I was wrong. I'm s-so sorry that's what it took for me t-to..."

"Felicia… it's all right. I understand."

Nate didn't look as understanding. "You  _killed_ her?!"

Felicia let go of Nora. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"It's all right, Nate," Nora said. "I'm alive now. That's all that matters."

"Why?!" Nate demanded. "How could you do that to her?!"

"I'm–"

Nora cut her off. "You've said it enough, Felicia." She laughed. "Hey, it's not every day you die and live to hear about it."

"Heh, I guess not."

Nate frowned. "I can't believe you'd do that."

"She's sorry, Nate," Nora said.

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"I forgive her! At least she's being honest about it!"

Nate whimpered. "All right…" He took a deep breath. "We need to find the real killer."

"Yeah," Felicia said. "I have no right to ask this, but will you help me?"

"Of course we'll help," Nora said. "That's what I've been trying to do this whole time."

Nate nodded. "Felicia, I'm still very upset with you, but... I'll still help you."

Felicia laid down on the ground. Her LOVE had reset back to level two. Not pure, but that was all right. She didn't deserve to be pure.

The true killer was still out there. It was going to be difficult, but at least Felicia had her friends by her–

Nora gasped. "I think someone's–"

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Nora and Nate collapsed to the ground, dead.

_Wh-what?_

Flora was still alive, protected by a bright barrier of light. "Murderer!"

Felicia frantically looked around. In the distance, a man approached them, brandishing a pistol. He had long brown hair and… red eyes.

Suddenly, the assassin broke into a sprint. Flora launched a volley of ice attacks to stop him, but the assassin nimbly dodged most of the projectiles and deflected the rest with a barrier of his own. He kept moving and quickly closed the distance.

Once he was just a few feet away, Flora surrounded him with a circle of ice pellets. The assassin summoned a flaming sword and spun it around, melting all of Flora's attacks.

He swung at Flora. She blocked the strike with another barrier. The assassin cast his sword aside, and his arms glowed white with some kind of energy. He grabbed Flora's barrier and ripped it in half. Flora tried to jump back, but his hand reached straight through her chest. Flora's body was unharmed, but her SOUL…

The assassin tore Flora's SOUL out of her body. She screamed as he crushed it, shattering it. Flora's body fell to the ground.

With Flora dead, the murderer looked at Felicia. He smiled. Felicia was frozen in terror.

"We meet at last," he said. "You have done well, my Demon."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"The way you killed Nora, obviously. You truly have a demon's heart."

He saw her kill Nora, and he remembered? That could only mean one thing: He was a former World Master.

"Wh-who are you?" Felicia asked.

"Name's Monty."

"I take it you're the one trying to kill me?"

Monty laughed. "Kill you? No. Not permanently, that is.  _Someone's_ trying to kill you, but it's not me. I want something else from you."

"What do you want?"

He didn't answer. He seemed to stare straight into Felicia's SOUL. "Felicia Malcom. The World Master,  _and_  the President's daughter. Aren't you the most privileged girl alive?"

Privileged? More liked cursed.

"What do you want?!" Felicia demanded.

"Though, I suppose it's not a total coincidence. It does take a lot of determination to obtain as much power as your Mother and Father."

Felicia clenched her fists. "Get to the point or I'll just reset now!"

He grinned. "Isn't it obvious? You're the Demon."

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Everyone knows the prophecy. 'The Demon. The one who has seen the underground. They will return, and everything will end.' They say the Demon will possess a red SOUL, and they shall realize their true power under Mount Ebott. That sounds just like you, doesn't it?"

"You believe in that fairy tale?" Felicia said. "You're insane."

"I get that a lot," Monty replied, "but it's never swayed me. You may not yet believe it, but you are destined to become the Demon."

"Stop calling me that! I'm not a demon! I'm a human being!"

"Yes," Monty said. "In your current state, you are merely mortal, but with proper guidance, you can become so much more."

More than mortal? What? He seriously wanted to turn her into some kind of demon?

"I don't want to be a demon!" Felicia shouted. "Leave me alone!"

"Oh, I think you'll change your mind," he said. He glanced at the bodies of her friends. "I imagine you wish to reset now." He aimed his pistol. "Here, let me help you."

Felicia heard another loud bang, and she felt the bullet pierce her skull.

**FILE LOADED**

* * *

" **Dark, darker, yet darker."**

**-The man who speaks in hands**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that was pretty dark, wasn't it? Anyway, I have a question for you.
> 
> I've created quite a few original characters, haven't I? Just out of curiosity, I want to know which one is your favorite so far. Not necessarily as a person, but as a character. Who's the most interesting to you? Feel free to name more than one, or if you hate them all and just wanna get back to Charisk, that's okay.
> 
> Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to Austin from the Game Theorists and his new video on the science of SOULs. I don't agree with all of his points, but it's a fun theory and very relevant to this story.


	25. Long Live the Demon

" **Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, war broke out between the two races."**

**-Undertale Intro**

**Ruled over Earth? As in,** _**all** _ **of Earth?**

* * *

With heavy eyes, Chara took out her notebook and got ready for her first class of the day, World History. She was still exhausted from her hellish nightmares. Frisk and Flowey had helped, but the power of love wasn't going to magically solve everything.

Although, there was something special motivating Chara that day. It was September 15th, Frisk's birthday! She couldn't wait to celebrate with him!

The teacher, Mr. Hemlock, started his lecture. They were still covering the Pre-War Era, the time before the Human-Monster War. Naturally, technology was limited back then, but magic was much more prevalent, thanks to the alliance between humans and monsters. Long range communication was possible with a magic-powered device called the echophone, which was extrapolated from the echo flower. Despite the simple technology, primitive forms of globalization started to occur early on in the Earth's history. By the time the war started, the entire planet was connected.

Unlike modern times, Earth was divided into many completely separate nations. Humans fought wars occasionally, but monsters usually stayed out of them due to both their unwillingness and relative inability to fight. They weren't even aware of what would happen if they absorbed human SOULs.

For the most part, humans and monsters got along well. There were human-controlled nations and monster-controlled nations, but many nations were mixed. It wasn't perfect. The division was there. There were quite a few bigots on both sides, but for the most part, the two races were equal. It must have been a wonderful time. Chara wished she could have seen it.

But, of course, it didn't last forever…

"One day," Hemlock said, "a monster made a discovery that would forever change everything. If you haven't heard of her, I might just fail you right now. That's right! That monster was Bora, Daughter of Boaris.

"Bora had lived a long life with her human husband, long for a human, that is. Bora was a boss monster, which meant she was doomed to outlive her husband by quite some time. When her husband inevitably died of natural causes, Bora was wracked with grief. She saw his red SOUL floating over his body, and she absorbed it, turning her into a terrible beast with incredible power. Once she tasted this power, she immediately hungered for more, so she hunted down five more humans and–"

Chara jumped out of her seat. "That is  _not_  how it happened! Bora's sole motive for obtaining those souls was her grief for her husband! She never 'hungered' for power!"

"Ms. Dreemurr," Hemlock said, "we've been over this. If you have a question, raise your hand."

Chara grumbled and sat back down.

"So," Hemlock went on, "Bora absorbed a total of six human SOULs, just one SOUL away from becoming a god. Fortunately, she was stopped when the SOULs rebelled, led by Bora's husband himself. That day, a truly horrific crisis had been adverted. They may very well have saved humanity."

"Humanity would have been  _fine!_ " Chara yelled. "Bora had not simply given in to megalomania! She only wished to save the human she loved! She would not have continued killing–"

"All right," Hemlock said, "what do  _you_  think would have happened? What would have happened if Bora had absorbed a seventh SOUL?"

"U-umm… well…"

What  _would_ have happened? Would Bora have been able to resurrect her husband? Chara had been resurrected, so it seemed possible. However, he did die a natural death, so perhaps that would have been different. Regardless, Chara supposed saving one person did not justify killing six others, especially since that one person had already lived out his natural human lifespan.

"She wouldn't have been able to bring him back," Hemlock said, "but she wouldn't have accepted it. She would have kept absorbing more souls, always believing that just one more would be enough. Do you think anyone could have stopped her? I'll leave that to you to decide."

_Well, Frisk stopped Asriel._

"You all know what happened next," Hemlock continued. "Humans were understandably terrified of the monster's ability to absorb human souls, which soon led to the Human-Monster War. All over Earth, humanity united to wage war with monsterkind.

"On paper, this war appears very one-sided, with not a single human SOUL taken, but the thing is, the monsters were always just that one SOUL away from turning the tables completely. In reality, the war was far closer than monsters care to admit."

_Doesn't change the fact that the humans massacred countless monsters all over the world._

What Chara didn't understand was how there wasn't a single human who sympathized with the dying monsters. Out of every human on Earth, how was there not a single one like her, willing to sacrifice their life to save them? As Hemlock said, just one SOUL could have changed everything. A single human is all it would have taken to save the monsters from slaughter, but nobody came.

_Well, I guess not everyone wants another race to acquire godlike power. Still, not a single person? No desperate hero? No spiteful misanthrope? No psychopath who wanted to watch humanity burn? I was the only one? Am I really that insane?_

Hemlock went on to talk about the monsters' eventual surrender, and how seven human magicians imprisoned them under Mount Ebott. Of course, the location of the monsters' prison was a closely guarded and ultimately forgotten secret until…

_Asriel…_

In the aftermath of the war, humanity maintained their global alliance, calling it the 'Human Government.' Of course, it wasn't purely federalist. It was divided into the East and West superstates, and each superstate was divided into several substates. While technically unified, it wasn't always peaceful. Over time, humans had fought each other in several civil wars, because of course they did. However, despite that, the Human Government somehow survived to the present day.

"But you can learn about that in Civics," Hemlock said. "For now, I'm sure you're all much more interested in the subject of monsters. As I hope you're aware, humanity's next encounter with the monster race wasn't until the early 21st century, about one hundred years ago." He looked at Chara. "It just so happens that one of the key figures of this historical event is with us right now."

What was he doing? Chara didn't need a purple SOUL to tell that her classmates were  _not_ fond of her.

Hemlock's yellow eyes lit up. "So, what were they like?"

"Huh? What?"

"The monsters! How did they react to seeing their first human in two thousand years?"

"Well, they were terrified at first," Chara said, "and so was I. After being sealed by the barrier, the monsters retreated as deep into the underground as they could, due to their fear of further human attacks. As for myself, I was hesitant to trust anyone. However, after Asriel rescued me, we gradually overcame our fears and began to care deeply for each other. Over time, we became like siblings, and after observing our friendship, monsters began to have faith in humanity."

"Bullshit," a human student muttered.

"You never cared about any of them."

Hemlock ignored them. "You were adopted by the Dreemurr royal family, right? How did the monsters feel about that? Did they consider you a princess?"

Chara blushed. She ran her finger along the delta rune imprinted on her golden heart locket. "Some monsters have called me that, yes."

"Fascinating!" Hemlock exclaimed. "Human monarchies rarely considered adoption to be a legitimate part of a royal family. Monsters appear more inclined to believe that family is stronger than blood, or dust in their case, and not to mention you were, well, a human! Monsters truly are an interesting society!"

A human student named Elodie raised her hand. "Umm, Mr. Hemlock? Not to be rude, but I feel like you're going off topic."

He nodded. "Ah, yes. I apologize for digressing, but it's not every semester I have such a historical figure in my classroom." He looked at the clock. "Well, there's not much time left. Unless you have any questions, I think I'll let you off early."

The whole classroom perked up, until Elodie raised her hand.

"Yes, Elodie?"

Elodie frowned. "Mr. Hemlock… do you think the Human-Monster War was justified?"

Hemlock frowned too. "A month ago, I would have confidently answered 'no.' However, after Boaris murdered over eleven billion humans and one million monsters, I'm not so sure anymore."

"I see…" She sighed. "Well, I still think it was wrong."

"Yes, you have a compassionate heart, Elodie." He looked around the room. "All right, you can go now."

Everyone wasted no time packing up and leaving. With a few taps on her phone, Chara stored her notebook in her dimensional box and walked out of the classroom. In the hall, Elodie stopped her.

Elodie smiled. "Hey, Chara!"

"U-uh, greetings."

_Why are you talking to me?_

Elodie giggled. "You talk so funny, Chara."

Elodie was a kindhearted girl who was well-liked among both her teachers and her fellow classmates. She had long hair dyed pink, and she had green eyes. She gave Chara a warm smile.

"How I speak is none of your concern," Chara replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you," she apologized. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Does this conversation have a purpose? If not, I really must be on my way."

Elodie laughed. "A purpose? Well, I just wanted to see if you'd like to join me and my friends for lunch."

_What? Who on Earth would want to be friends with_ me _? Well, you know, besides Frisk, Flowey, Mother, Father, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Napstablook… Yeah…_

Despite herself, Chara got a bit flustered. "U-uh, you are kind to offer, but today happens to be my boyfriend's birthday, so…"

"Ah, that's okay! Another time, then. You two have fun!"

Chara smiled. "Umm, thank you. We shall."

_Huh, does she really want to be my friend? I almost feel bad for brushing her off. She does seem like a nice person. Perhaps another time._

They parted ways. Chara headed for her next class.

* * *

Lunch couldn't have come fast enough. Chara waited by the picnic tables outside the cafeteria. Where was he? He was late. Shouldn't he have gotten here by now?

"Hey there, good-looking!"

Chara turned around to see an obnoxious flirt approach her.

He walked right up to her. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all by yourself? What do you say we get a bite to eat? I love a girl with red eyes!"

Agh, he was horrible! But why did he have to be so damn cute? "Hmph, anyone can complement my looks."

"How about your fashion sense, then? I like your hair! I love the way you have it down to your shoulders, just like mine! Look at us! We were meant to be!"

A small laugh escaped Chara's lips. "I admit, you know how to make yourself look good."

He pointed at her locket. "Oh, and what's this? That's a lovely locket! Is it a gift from someone?"

"Why, yes."

"Ah! Have you already found someone who loves you?"

"The boy who gave me this locket does love me, but not in the sense you speak of." She grinned. "However, there  _is_ someone else like that in my life."

The flirt gasped and held his chest as if his heart was broken. "Well, they must be a very lucky person."

She moved close to him, very close. "Yes, he is," she whispered.

The flirt started to blush. "Do I know him by any chance?"

Chara draped her arms over his shoulders. "You might…"

She closed her eyes, and she kissed his lips. "Happy birthday, Frisk."

Frisk smiled. "That's the best birthday present I've ever gotten."

Chara giggled. "You're welcome. I'd give you more, but we're kind of in public."

"Heh, yeah. Maybe later?"

She smirked. "I can hardly wait."

Frisk laughed, and they sat down at a table together.

"So, how are you doing?" Frisk asked.

_Do you really want to know?_

She sighed. "Felicia actually did it. She… she killed Nora."

Frisk frowned. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be. I don't feel sorry for her. I haven't forgotten what she did to my brother."

"But, she had nothing to do with Felicia's death, did she?"

"Probably not. In any case, there's a more important matter to discuss." She lowered her voice. "Frisk, remember that terrorist who practically killed himself with DT? It's kind of hard to tell, but I think Felicia met him."

"Melty?" Frisk asked. "So, he really did have something to do with it."

Chara nodded. "Yes, but–"

"Howdy, my best friends!"

Flowey crawled up on their table. "So, are you two done doing gross stuff yet?"

Chara laughed. "Uh, yeah, we just covered that."

"Good! I'm sure you did something extra repulsive today."

"Extra  _adorable_!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Anyway, happy birthday, Frisk. Can't believe you're fifteen, you're growing up so fast, emotional stuff, happiness, blah blah blah… you get the idea."

"Haha, thanks, Asriel."

"Anyway," Chara said, "Melty said some strange things to Felicia. Apparently, he believed that she was the Demon, and he claimed he wasn't trying to kill her. The implication was that he wished to control her instead of destroying her. Furthermore, Melty said there was someone else who was trying to kill Felicia once and for all."

"Could that be the 'benefactor' he mentioned?" Frisk asked.

"Possibly."

"Wait, hold up," Flowey said. "What's this demon stuff he's talking about?"

"Oh, right," Chara said. "Asriel, you remember the Prophecy, yes? 'The Angel. The One Who Has Seen the Surface. They will return, and the underground will go empty.' Well, the humans made up a similar prophecy. Except instead of an angel returning from the surface, they predicted that a demon will return from the underground. It is said that this Demon will be a genocidal abomination who will destroy the entire world simply to satisfy its wicked ambition."

Flowey held a vine to his chin. "So, basically, Melty is an insane cultist who believes in this demon thing?"

"It would seem so."

"But, that prophecy stuff is just made up, right?"

"Normally, I would agree, but the Angel Prophecy came true, did it not?"

"Oh," Flowey said. "Umm, Chara… you're not saying  _I_ was the angel, are you?"

Chara smiled. "Of course you were. You saw the surface, you returned from the dead, and thanks to you, the underground went empty. You're an angel, Asriel."

He frowned. "No, I'm no angel."

"Huh?"

Flowey eyed her with an intense expression on his face. "Do you have any idea what I would have done if Frisk hadn't stopped me?"

"Asriel…"

"Yeah, it's probably best you don't."

Chara knew exactly how he felt. Just as Chara was dealing with her own sins, Flowey was dealing with his.

Frisk smiled. "Well, even angels can make mistakes, right?"

"Yeah, they're called demons," Flowey said.

Frisk kept smiling. "Whether you're an angel or a demon, I still love you. Both of you."

Flowey chuckled. "I guess, but in different ways, right?"

He winked. "Hey, if it weren't for Chara, I just might be interested in those cute petals of yours."

"Oh my God, Frisk." He smirked at Chara. "That doesn't make you jealous, does it?"

"Not at all," Chara answered. "You know I liked you too, but then you  _rejected_ me!"

"Yeah, sorry, but I need someone with a bit more fur on their skin," Flowey teased.

"So shallow!"

"Your loss," Frisk said. He smiled at Chara. "Well, I think she's beautiful."

She smiled back. "And I find you  _very_  attractive."

Flowey winced. "Hey, I thought you were done with the gross stuff!"

Chara laughed, and she sat on her boyfriend's lap. "What can I say? I just can't help myself with him."

Frisk's face flushed. "Chara…"

She really couldn't help it. She leaned in for another kiss…

"Aww, you two are so cute!"

Chara gasped and frantically jumped off of Frisk. Some girl was walking towards them.

It was Elodie, holding some kind of box. "Oh, sorry if I interrupted you."

_THEN WHY DID YOU?!_

Frisk smiled. "It's all right, Elodie." He already knew pretty much everyone at the school.

"Haha, thanks," Elodie said. "Frisk, I know it's your birthday, but I actually wanted to give Chara a present."

Chara was shocked. "What? Why?"

"I know how people are so mean to you," Elodie said, "so I just wanted to let you know that not all of us are like that. I want you to feel welcome here."

Frisk grinned. "Aww, thank you!"

"W-wow," Chara breathed. "Umm… what is it?"

With a wide smile, Elodie opened the box. "I heard you love these!"

Chara's mouth salivated. It was…

"Chocolates!"

She wasted no time popping one into her mouth. She chewed the chocolate candy and swallowed. Oh, it was so delicious and sweet! What a great gift! Humans really weren't so bad after…

Chara gagged.

Frisk looked worried. "Are you okay?"

She felt sick. She started coughing. Oh… oh no… not again…

Flowey held her. "Chara, what's wrong?"

She collapsed to her knees and clutched her stomach. It  _hurt_.

Elodie smiled innocently. "Oh, what's the matter, Chara? Got a tummy ache?"

Chara looked up at her. "Wh-what did you put in that chocolate?"

"Cups of butter," Elodie said with a smirk. "Lots and lots of  _butter cups_ , and a few other things to make sure it gets the job done."

Frisk stared at her in shocked disbelief. "No, you wouldn't…"

Elodie giggled. "Chara should know better than anyone that some people only pretend to like you."

Frisk clenched his fists. "You…"

Chara's coughs turned bloody. Frisk forget about Elodie and held her. "Chara!"

Her throat burned, and her breaths grew short and rapid. Her back fell to the ground. She looked up at Frisk and Flowey. They were both horrified.

"N-no," Frisk sobbed. "I w-won't let you die."

The world turned dark and cold. Chara shivered. She held Frisk's hand for warmth. "Frisk…"

Chara vomited a mixture of blood and tar. Frisk and Flowey were covered in dark crimson, but that was the least of their concern. She felt her eyes turn to her hollow, demonic form. Her body began to convulse. It wouldn't be much longer.

Elodie grinned. "DIE, DEMON!"

Chara stared at Frisk and Flowey. She didn't want this. She didn't want to die. She still had to save Asriel. She wanted to see her brother as himself again. She wanted to hold the goat in her arms and swear to never hurt him again, and she wanted to stay with Frisk. She loved him. She wasn't ready to leave him. She wanted a future with him.

But, it didn't matter what she wanted.

Her SOUL cracked, and it shattered.

**FILE LOADED**

Chara was back in the picnic table, still shivering from her death by poison chocolate.

With tears in his eyes, Frisk held her tight. "Chara…"

"Frisk…"

Again, Elodie walked up to them, holding the box of poison chocolates. "Hey, there! Frisk, I know it's your birthday, but I actually wanted to…"

Frisk clenched his fists.

Elodie smirked.

Frisk screamed, and he punched Elodie with all his strength, blacking her green eye. Elodie yelped in pain.

Chara didn't know how to feel about Frisk attacking her. She hated seeing Frisk fight, and she couldn't even bring herself to hate Elodie. She wasn't the only person who wanted Chara dead, and for good reason.

Elodie held her eye and smiled. "Frisk, I thought you were a pacifist."

He hit her again. "Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me if I'm a little upset that you  _killed my girlfriend!_ "

A crowd of students quickly gathered, watching the scene.

Elodie pointed at Flowey. "Look at what she's done. Asriel is a fucking flower because of her. She deserves to suffer and die."

"Well, that's too bad," Flowey taunted. "You're not a very bright one, are you? You know Frisk can just reset, right?"

Elodie clenched her teeth. "Why should he? Why does Chara get special treatment? Frisk, do you reset every time someone dies?"

Frisk grimaced.

"No," Elodie hissed. "A couple months ago, my mother died in a car accident. Some drunk idiot crashed right into her. She was a good person, and she never did anything to deserve it. What did you do when  _she_ died? Did you reset to save  _her_  life?"

Frisk didn't answer.

Elodie stared at him with hatred in her blackened green eyes. "Chara doesn't deserve to live. If it weren't for her, Asriel wouldn't have lost his soul, Asgore wouldn't have killed the other humans, and  _you_ wouldn't have had to suffer. She tried to make her own brother murder everyone in her village. She deserves to burn in hell like the demon she is."

Several people in the crowd murmured in agreement. Some even applauded.

"She should have stayed dead," Elodie growled, "but you… you just had to bring her back, just because you want to  _fuck her_! You might as well be a demon like her. No, you're worse. You're her  _puppet_!"

A few more people applauded, but others protested the attack on Frisk, insisting that Chara somehow forced Frisk to revive her.

Frisk frowned. "I'm sorry about your mother. You're right. It's not fair that I can save the ones I love while ignoring others. As I adventured through the underground, I couldn't let a single person die, even when they tried to kill me. Even one death was unacceptable. I had to save everyone.

"But, I can't save everyone. Even with my power, I'm just one human, and as a human, I can't leave behind the ones close to me. I know it's selfish, and I have no excuse for it."

Frisk stared into the whole crowd. "However, I am  _not_ anyone's puppet. You may hate Chara for what she did to Asriel. You may hate her for what she tried to do to her village, but do  _not_ blame her for the decisions of others. I choose to forgive Chara. I choose to save her of my own free will. You may see her as a manipulative demon, but I see someone who was willing to give up her own life for the people she loved. She never forced me to do anything. I made my choices, and I don't regret them."

Chara's heart swelled. Frisk was so amazing.

Elodie didn't back down. "She's playing you for a fool! She doesn't love you! She's just using you, just like she used Asriel! Do you really believe she's changed? She's not just a demon, she's  _the_ Demon! She'll never be happy until the whole world is reduced to an empty void!"

Frisk was about to shout something back, but Chara stopped him. It was her turn to speak.

"I have just one thing to say," Chara said. "You may not believe that I've changed, but I hope you can believe that humanity has changed. If not, it's only a matter of time until the next Human-Monster War."

That sent a chill through the crowd.

Elodie sobbed. "Even if you are sorry, do you think that makes it better? It doesn't! Being sorry doesn't erase what you've done! You're a murderer! So, why?! Why do you get a second chance, but not my mother?! I'll never forgive you for that! N-never!" She ran away, crying.

_Poor girl. I know what it's like to lose your mother._

She wasn't a bad person. She was just hurt and angry, not unlike Chara herself. Chara wanted to help her, like Frisk would.

Frisk held Chara's hand. "Come on, let's get of here."

Flowey hopped on her shoulder. "We've got better things to do."

"I want to help her," she said.

Frisk frowned. "Oh, Chara… that's wonderful, but I don't think now's a good time. She needs to be alone for a while."

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right… Hey, can we ditch school for the day?"

"Heh, I guess being murdered qualifies for an excused absence."

Chara smiled. "Thank you."

They walked away from the picnic area. They ducked behind one of the classroom halls. As soon as they were out of sight, Frisk grabbed Chara and hugged her. "I'm so sorry people treat you like that."

She returned the hug. "It's okay."

"It's  _not_ okay! I can't stand seeing people hurt you so much!" He held her tighter. "Chara, if I didn't have my resets, you would be  _dead_. I'm… I'm not ready to lose you."

"I'm not ready to leave you, either." She held his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Chara moved her hand up and down Frisk's back, feeling his warmth. Frisk smiled. He pressed his chest against hers, and he kissed her. Chara closed her eyes and felt her lips tingle pleasantly as she locked them with Frisk's. As they kissed, Chara felt warm, safe, and loved, and that was more than she could ask for.

Eventually, Chara pulled back and caught her breath. "Heh, thanks for that."

He smiled lovingly. "Anytime, my Chara."

"Hey, I'm here too," Flowey said.

Chara let go of Frisk and smiled at him. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you."

"So, Frisk," Flowey said, "you did good work today. I really liked the part where you punched Elodie. That was very satisfying."

Frisk made an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, that wasn't very pacifistic of me, was it?"

"Don't worry," Chara said, "you're still a pacifist. A paci- _fist_!" She winked.

Flowey groaned, and Frisk laughed. "Thanks, Chara."

"Seriously, though," Flowey said, "doesn't everyone have bigger things to worry about than you, Chara? The human-monster situation gets more tense every day, and everyone's still freaking out about  _you_."

Yes, all the hatred for Chara was almost overshadowing hatred for Boaris. While Boaris had unleashed destruction on a terrifying scale, it lacked the personal, sentimental touch of how Chara had almost manipulated Asriel into murdering humans, and unlike Boaris, Chara's actions had real consequences. Because of Chara, Asriel had lost his soul, but Boaris? Boaris allowed Frisk to simply reset everything he had done. In the end, he had not really done anything.

That wasn't to say people didn't hate Boaris. Far from it. He was despised by both humans and monsters. Still, they hadn't exactly forgotten about Chara. People really believed she was the Demon from the prophecy, the one who would destroy everything.

Hmm…

If it came down to it, perhaps Chara could use that to her advantage.


	26. Goodnight

**When it was all over, he wished me goodnight.**

**He told me to let Frisk go.**

**He told me to let Frisk be happy.**

**But I cannot sleep.**

* * *

Felicia returned home.

Mother greeted her at the entrance. Felicia was surprised that she was still home. She was certain that Mother would be off on president business by now. If she was here, where was Father? Was he avoiding her?

No, there he was. Father stumbled into the hall, holding a half-empty bottle of wine. Oh, God…

"H-hey there, Felicia," Father slurred.

"You're drunk," Felicia bluntly said.

He held his bottle high. "Wh-what tipped you off?"

She couldn't believe it. The nerve of him! "What the hell, Father? How can you drink at a time like this?"

He hiccuped. "How could I  _not_? Someone's trying to murder my daughter, and instead of staying safe, she just  _runs_  straight into danger. B-besides, it's not like she  _listens to me_ anyway."

Mother scowled at him. "Why should she listen to you? You can't even control  _yourself_."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"That'll be difficult in your condition, but I'm game."

"Not like that!"

"What a shame. I guarantee I can provide much more comfort than your bottles."

Felicia's face flushed. "HEY!"

"Yeah, Elizabeth," Father mocked. "First you let her hunt down murderers, and now you talk like  _that_ right in front of our thirteen-year-old daughter? That's some  _real_  Mother of the Year material there!"

"You're one to talk!" Mother retorted. "Drinking and cursing in front of her! You're setting an  _excellent_ example!"

Father took a big swig of his wine. "Whatever."

_They've been like this for so long…_

Mother sighed and looked at Felicia. "I'm sorry. How did things go today?"

"Well," Felicia said, "it quite thoroughly sucked."

"Did you at least learn anything about Nora?"

She grimaced. "I… I no longer believe she's guilty."

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

Sweat trickled down Felicia's brow. What could she say? How could she tell her mother that she tormented and killed someone who was innocent all along?

"Felicia, what happened? Felicia!"

No, she had to tell her. She couldn't lie to her. Mother always said that honesty was essential to running a healthy family. She was a blue SOUL, after all. A SOUL of integrity. Felicia had to tell her the truth.

She took a deep breath. "Mother… I… I killed her."

Mother's blue eyes widened. "What…?"

Father took another gulp of wine. "I'm gonna need another bottle."

"You mean, she's dead?" Mother asked.

"Oh, no! No!" Felicia assured her. "I reset after, but before that…"

"What the fuck, Felicia?!"

She sobbed. "I wanted to prove it was her. I thought I could make her admit it, but all it did was convince me she was innocent." Tears ran down her face. "I'm so sorry!"

Mother was unmoved. "So, without any proof, you tortured and murdered an innocent girl, just because you thought she  _might_  be guilty?!"

"H-hey! You thought it was her, too! You told me to investigate her however I wanted!"

"Not  _that_ , obviously! I thought you understood restraint, not to mention a sense of common decency. Hmm… maybe your father is right; you're not ready for this."

"Yes!" Father cheered.

Felicia gasped. She couldn't mean that! "M-Mother! No! I  _am_ ready! I know I messed up, but I swear it won't happen again!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Mother scolded. "Your actions have dishonored your name,  _our_ name. The Military Police will take it from here."

"Please give me another chance!" Felicia begged. "I'll figure this out, and I'll make you proud! I promise!"

"No, you're done. Go to your room."

Father uttered a drunken laugh. "Yeah, you're grounded!"

No, Mother couldn't do this! Felicia was so happy when she trusted her with this responsibility, and now she was taking it away? She couldn't let that happen! "Wait!" she exclaimed. "I  _have_ made progress. Nora may not be involved, but I found someone who is!"

"I'm listening."

Felicia told her everything about her encounter with Monty. She told her how Monty defeated Flora, how he related Felicia to the Demon from the prophecy, and how he claimed not to be the actual killer.

"Do you know anything about him?" Felicia asked.

Mother shook her head. "I can have our intelligence officers run a search, but I've never heard of this man."

"His red eyes should narrow the search down," Father said, before sipping his wine. "Y-yeah, that should help. Right?"

Yes, red SOULs made up roughly 2.3% of the human population, about one in forty-three people. On top of that, they had a name, and Felicia could  _try_ drawing a picture of his face. Whoever Monty was, he couldn't stay hidden for long.

"If we are to believe this Monty," Mother said, "there is still another enemy at large. Felicia, I stand by my judgement. You are to remain here until all your assailants have been apprehended, for your safety, as well as the safety of others."

Felicia's SOUL sank. "But, I still want to help! What about the scientists? They could still be involved! Let me do something!"

"And what  _can_ you do?" Father asked. "What can you do that the Military Police can't?"

Well…

_What can I do?_

"I don't know!" she yelled. "Something! Anything! I told you; I can't just sit around trapped in here! I need to control my fate!"

"Felicia," Mother said, "sometimes, you need to accept that you can't control everything. No one can. However, you always have a choice. Right now, you may choose to stay here where it's safe and bide your time, or you may choose to disobey me and continue pursuing an enemy you don't understand."

"But…"

"Tell you what," Mother said, "if you can come to me with an actual plan, I may let you carry it out. Until then, I can no longer trust you to handle this yourself. It's clear that this whole thing has affected you."

Felicia sniffled. "Okay. I guess that's fair."

"Say, why don't go see your brother?" Mother suggested. "He's been in his room all day."

"Y-yeah, I should. I hope he's doing okay."

Yes, that was a good idea. Eventually, Felicia was going to kill Monty and whoever was helping him, but for now, she needed to rest and check on Jacob. She hadn't seen him sense killing Kawasaki. She had to make sure he was okay.

Father finished off his bottle. "That's the most sensible thing you've said all day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need another bottle."

Hearing that made Felicia eager to leave.

"Felicia," Mother said with a commanding tone, "I want you to think about what you've done. You may be able to reset your actions, but your sins aren't so easy to erase."

She solemnly nodded. "I understand."

"I thought I raised you better than this. Perhaps there's a reason why you love monsters so much."

"I'm sorry…"

Felicia left her mother and drunk father and headed for Jacob's room. Although, there was no rush. She took a slight detour and walked out into the center courtyard, an open garden in the middle of the mansion. Along the cobblestone pathways were patches of hydrangeas, buttercups, sunflowers, and golden flowers. In the center of the garden was a stone fountain; the setting sunlight gleamed over its flowing water. Felicia walked to the fountain and looked at her reflection. Her face stared back at her, but was it still her? She didn't know.

In the reflection, she saw a familiar pair of light blue eyes behind her. She jumped and turned around. "Flora?"

"My apologizes," Flora said. "I did not intend to startle you."

Felicia calmed herself. "It's okay."

"How are you feeling?" Flora asked.

Felicia frowned and looked back at her reflection. "Like a murderer."

Mother was right. She may have reset, but she still remembered how hatefully she cut down Nora. She never thought she would do something like that. How could she? Had she changed, or was that who she was all along?

Extra ripples ran through the fountain's water.

Flora held her shoulder. "Felicia… do not beat yourself over this."

"You don't remember," she said. "If you remembered, you wouldn't say that."

"I doubt that very much. Nora forgives you, does she not?"

"She doesn't remember, either."

Flora pulled Felicia close, and she hugged her. "F-Flora?"

"It's all right," Flora said. "Even if you make a few mistakes, I shall continue to serve you."

Flora's tone suggested she was more than a servant; she truly was a second mother to her. With a warmth in her soul, Felicia returned the embrace. "Th-thank you, Flora."

"I am here to protect you, Felicia. I may have failed last time, but if someone attacks you again, I will not fall so easily."

"Hey, don't go beating  _yourself_  up right after comforting me."

"Heh, very well."

Felicia pulled back and wiped her eyes. "All right. I need to go see my brother now."

Flora bowed. "Farewell, and do not worry about Jacob. I checked on him a few minutes ago. He is safe inside his room."

She waved goodbye. "Bye, Flora."

Felicia went through the courtyard and back inside. She walked through the polished halls and finally reached Jacob's room. She knocked on his door. "Jacob? It's me, Felicia."

No response.

"Jacob…? Are you in there?"

No response.

"JACOB!"

But nobody came.

_Calm down, Felicia. No need to panic. He must have stepped out, that's all._

Still…

_A peak won't hurt._

Felicia slowly turned the knob and gently pushed the door. She looked inside.

Jacob was there, lying facedown on the ground. There was a knife in his back, and a pool of blood around his corpse.

* * *

Lying on the floor beside Napstablook, Chara stared at the ceiling, which gradually dissolved, replaced by the cosmos of space. Soon, she was surrounded by stars, galaxies, and nebulae.

The stars were so pretty.

Very, very pretty.

Yeah…

Chara kept lying there.

It was amazing.

She was in space. Space. So much space. She loved space. She had to see it all.

_SPAAAAAAACE!_

There was nothing Chara would rather be doing right now.

Absolutely nothing.

She didn't move.

She remained motionless.

Seriously, why move? Just look at the stars…

It was so comfortable; Chara felt like she would never get up.

Ever….

Chara looked at another galaxy and wondered if there were any aliens there. Say, whenever Frisk reset, did their worlds reset too? Humans learned to track resets, right? Were  _they_  aware of the resets? Somewhere, was an alien civilization freaking out wondering what the hell is going on? Did they have determination? How come they never got reset powers? How had they not invaded Earth and wiped out humanity yet? That'd be the day.

Oh, but they'd probably kill the monsters too, and Frisk. Bad idea.

But enough of that. Chara wasn't here to think. She was here to look at the stars, and do absolutely nothing else.

She thought about Asriel. What would he say if he saw her moping like this? She thought about Frisk. What would he say if he caught her giving up?

_Chara, please… Wake up! You are the future of humans and monsters…_

_Father…_

_Don't lose hope! Chara! Stay determined!_

_Hope…_

_Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up! You…_

"Hey."

The stars disappeared. Chara was back in Napstablook's house. "Wh-what?"

"Umm… I'm sorry," Napstablook apologized, "but I don't think you're supposed to do it for longer than three hours…"

_THREE HOURS?!_

"I'm so sorry!" Chara apologized. "I had no idea I was out that long!"

"It's okay," they said. "I sometimes do it for two hours. I'm impressed. You're even better at my family tradition than I am."

_I'm not sure if that's flattering…_

Chara got up, stretched, and yawned. The good news was, she felt great. Napstablook's meditation allowed her to rest without actually sleeping. She felt more well-rested than she had in weeks.

"Oh, thanks Blooky," she purred. "That really helped."

"Oh, well… I'm glad," they replied.

She smiled. "Seriously, Blooky. You're a hero."

They almost blushed. "Ah, gee…"

Chara reacquainted herself with reality. Despite being paid a handsome salary from Mettaton, Napstablook choose to live in a house pretty much identical to the one they had underground. Just one room with a wooden floor, a TV, a computer, a refrigerator, and a pile of music CDs. Chara supposed a ghost didn't need much out of a house. Then again, this  _was_  Napstablook…

Napstablook levitated a CD and handed it to Chara. "Hey, uh, I made a new song. Would you… care to listen?"

"Sure!" Chara put it in the computer and played it.

"I call it  _Ghost Fight_ ," Napstablook said.

The track was more upbeat than most of Napstablook's songs. It had somewhat of a jazz feel, and for some reason, it reminded Chara of the time Frisk met Napstablook. He had to stop them from crying by cheering them up, and of course he flirted with them. Oh, Frisk. He was crazy, but that's what Chara loved about him.

The song was actually pretty good! Napstablook had gotten a lot better since Mettaton hired them.

"This is great!" Chara exclaimed.

"Thank you," they replied. "Hey, Chara… you're a good human, like Frisk, even though you both have red eyes."

_Uh, what?_

Okay, Napstablook wouldn't just blurt out a bigoted comment like that. There had to be a reason.

"What do you mean?" Chara asked.

"Oh, you don't know. I'm sorry."

"Know what?"

"Monsters had a saying," Napstablook explained. "Well, more like a warning. 'Beware the human with red eyes. For if this human is struck with the desire to kill, they will not only be a threat to monsters, but to humanity as well.' I think it started sometime after you… you know."

"Oh…"

_Hmm… it seems that even monsters have some concept of the Demon. I wonder… is there really more to this than a mere fairy tale? Perhaps Sans knows something._

"Napstablook, do you know where that warning came from?"

"I think the River Person started it."

The River Person… probably not the most reliable source of information. Still, Chara was too curious to brush it off completely.

The song finished.

"I see," Chara said. "Thanks again for your help."

"It was nothing. Really, that's what it was, not doing anything."

"Hey, doing nothing and not doing anything are two very different things."

"Heh, I don't get it, but okay."

Chara laughed. "Okay, I really need to get home before Mother worries. See you later, Blooky."

"See you."

Chara waved goodbye and left Napstablook's home. She walked outside into the cold night air of Surface Home. She headed back home to Toriel.

_Actually…_

Maybe Chara could get something done first. Chara took out her phone and called Sans.

"Heya."

"Sans, it's me. Can we talk?"

"Uh-uh."

"it's important. Can we meet at your place? I'm in the Ghost District right now."

"Yeah, sure."

"Great! I'll see you–"

"That's a cool story."

_Huh?_

"A  _real_ cool story. Leave a message, and I'll be sure to call you  _backbone_. Whenever I feel like it."

_Beep!_

_ARE YOU SERIOUS?!_

Okay, so Sans was useless, but maybe there was someone else who could shed some light on this demon thing. What about Asgore? Chara hadn't seen him in a while, so even if he didn't know anything, it'd be nice to spend some time with him.

Chara called him.

"Chara?"

"Greetings, Father. I was wondering if I could come see you."

"Oh, certainly! It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry for not doing this sooner. I'll be right over."

"I'll be waiting. Have you been doing all right?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm glad to hear that. See you home."

"See you there."

Chara hung up. Yeah, this was probably better than seeing Sans. Asgore was the king of monsters. He had to have known something about this red-eyed human thing. Asgore would tell her everything he knew, while Sans would just dodge every question Chara threw at him with a cheeky remark. Besides, she really did need to see her father.

Chara started walking to Asgore's house in the center of Surface Home. As she walked. both humans and monsters were affected by her presence. Some turned away in fear, others glared at her with hatred, and only a few looked at her with sympathy in their eyes. She tried to ignore them, unsuccessfully. She just wanted to walk to her father's home unnoticed. She just wanted to be left alone, but they wouldn't stop judging her.

After a painfully long walk, Chara reached Asgore's house. It looked similar to his old house from underground, but this one wasn't an identical replica. That would have been kind of pathetic, to be honest. It did have a dining room and kitchen on the left, and there were two, not three, bedrooms on the right. Instead of a staircase leading to a basement, there was simply a glass door that led to the backyard garden.

And, the whole house was adorned with golden flowers.

Asgore let Chara inside. He sat her down at the dining room table, where he had a hot cup of golden flower tea ready for her. For a while, they just talked about little things. Chara talked about school, her magic training, Asriel, and her other monster friends. She talked about Elodie, who Chara had been attempting to befriend. Elodie was still acting cold to her, but it seemed she had given up trying to murder her. That was progress, right?

"I am proud of you," Asgore said. "I wish you did not have to face such situations, but the way you are confronting Elodie is impressive."

Chara smirked. "What? Most of Frisk's friends tried to kill him. It's just how we make new friends!"

Asgore laughed. "You still have your sense of humor."

"Haha, yeah." She sighed. All right, that was enough small talk. "Father, the truth is, I didn't come here  _just_ to see you. There is an important matter I wish to discuss."

Asgore nodded. "Very well."

"Father, I recently heard about some sort of waring spread among monsters. Something about a red-eyed human, like myself, being a threat to humans and monsters alike. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yes, I have heard that warning," Asgore said. "Sometime after you died, the River Person started saying many strange things. Err, even more strange things, that is. Among these was the warning you spoke of. They claimed it was a message from 'The Man Who Speaks in Hands,' whoever that may be."

_The Man Who Speaks in Hands…_

Chara laughed. "You know, that kind of sounds like Gaster. That goofball loved to write in wingdings for some reason."

Asgore sipped his tea. "Who's Gaster?"

_What…?_

Chara gave him a funny look. "What do you mean who's Gaster? You know Gaster. Everyone knows Gaster! He invented the Core! He's one of the underground's greatest heroes!"

"Hmm? What are you talking about? Temmie invented the Core."

_What?!_

Chara pictured the Temmies standing proudly in front of the newly completed Core, giving a speech in their broken English. It was ridiculous.

"How the hell could Temmie invent the Core?!" Chara exclaimed. "Which Temmie?"

"The one from the Tem Shop," he answered.

"Really?" Chara deadpanned. "Temmie? Before she even went to college? Since when was Temmie an expert in geothermal magic-electrical engineering?"

Asgore took another sip of his tea. "I am surprised I have never questioned this before."

"Seriously, Father! How could you just forget Gaster?!"

"I… I don't know what to tell you. I have no memory of this man."

_What the hell? This doesn't make any sense._

As Chara tried to make sense of this, she remembered a part of the  _Re:Zero_ anime that she was watching with Alphys and the others. At one point, one of the characters disappeared in a cloud of smoke created by one of the feral monsters. Afterwards, everyone but the main character had lost all memory of her. Not only that, but reality itself had been rewritten to make it like she never even existed. The whole world was the same, except that one character didn't exist. She had  _never_ existed. Had Gaster suffered a similar fate?

_Oh my God… anime IS real!_

"You really don't remember?" Chara asked. "The name Gaster truly means nothing to you?"

Asgore shook his head.

"This is wrong," Chara breathed. "Gaster doesn't deserve to just be… forgotten like this."

"I am sorry," Asgore said. "Chara, I know you would not intentionally make this up, but do you think it's possible that you're the one who's confused?"

"But, the River Person remembers! And I bet Sans remembers too! He wasn't  _completely_ erased! In fact…"

Chara called Flowey, putting her phone on speaker mode.

"Howdy, Chara!"

"Hey, Asriel, you remember Gaster, yes?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess you'd remember too. Hehe… yeah, everyone just forgot about the guy. It's very strange."

Chara looked at Asgore. "See? I'm not crazy!"

He was at a loss for words.

"Asriel," Chara said, "do you have any idea what happened?"

"No idea."

She sighed. "All right. Thanks anyway."

"Okay! Hey, are you coming home or what?"

"No, I'm staying with Father tonight."

"Oh, I see. I'll tell Mom and Frisk for you."

"Thanks. See you later."

"See you soon!"

Chara hung up.

"This is a lot to take in," Asgore said. "You will have to tell me more about this Gaster, but not now. It is getting rather late. I'll allow you to rest for tonight."

Chara nodded. "Yes, thank you. I suppose I shall spend the night here."

"Of course. The guest room is open to you."

"Thanks, Father."

Chara left for the bathroom and got ready for bed. As she did, she thought about what Asgore told her. What happened to Gaster was unfortunate, but it confirmed Chara's suspicions. If that warning was from Gaster, he would not have given it lightly. Gaster had learned the truth. As absurd as it sounded, the Demon truly was no fairy tale.

It was a real threat.

All those destroyed timelines, monsters weren't responsible for their destruction. Somehow, creatures like Chara were capable of it. She didn't know how, but it was clearly possible. Chara stifled a laugh. All this time, humans thought  _monsters_ were the greatest threat to the world, but the truth was, humans were capable of destroying the world all by themselves! All along,  _they_ were the real threat!

"Pfft… ha… hahaha! AHAHAHA!"

_N-no…_

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. She promised that she would stop this. She couldn't let her hatred consume her, not this time.  _Especially_ not this time.

Chara finished up and went inside the guest room. Her phone rang. It was Frisk. With a smile, Chara answered. "Greetings, Frisk."

"Hey, Chara! So, you're staying with Asgore tonight? That's nice! I'll miss you, though."

"Aww, don't worry. We'll see each other again soon."

"Yeah, I know. We  _are_  spoiled, aren't we?"

"Heh, I guess so."

"So, how was your day?"

"It was good," Chara answered. "I hung out with Napstablook. Their mediation thing really helped clear my mind."

"Oh, that's cool! I just played some games with Asriel. He totally stomped me, but it was fun."

"Haha, I'm glad you two are getting along."

"Yeah. Even now, he's a great friend."

"Tell him that I wish him goodnight."

"Sure thing!" He yawned. "Now you're making me tired."

"Ready to turn in?"

"Yeah," Frisk said. "Hey, umm… will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yes, don't worry so much."

"All right, all right! I'll see you later, Chara."

She smirked. "See you later, handsome."

Frisk laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Goodnight, Chara."

"'Night, my Frisk."

Chara ended the call, and she realized she wasn't alone. She turned around and saw Asgore, his mouth agape. What? Why was he acting so surprised?

_Didn't we…?_

_Did we…?_

_Oh my God…_

_We never told him._

Asgore took a deep breath. "S-sorry. I have heard, but seeing it firsthand is still a bit of a shock."

Right, there was absolutely no way he hadn't heard. It was far from secret. People were kind of freaking out over Chara's relationship with Frisk. They refused to believe that Chara's love for him was sincere.

Although, there were some people who thought they were cute. Chara loved those people.

"Sorry," Chara apologized. "We should have talked to you about it a long time ago. Like, two months ago…"

"It's all right," Asgore said. "I am happy for you. Both of you."

She smiled. "Thank you. I love him, with all my heart."

"I believe that's all that needs to be said on the matter. Just don't do anything irresponsible, all right?"

Chara sighed. "Yes, Father."

He laughed, and he turned to leave. "Goodnight, Chara."

She smiled. "Goodnight, Father."

Asgore left. Chara collapsed on the bed. This night was going to be a tough one, to put it lightly. Chara had a feeling she knew who killed Jacob this time. She sensed that it wouldn't be much longer until Felicia...

After a long period of restlessness, Chara fell asleep.


	27. Fortress of Lies

" **Tears ahead."**

**-Random** _**Dark Souls** _ **guy**

* * *

Felicia sprinted through the halls and headed straight for Jacob's room. Was she too late? Had it happened already? She reached his room and shoved the door open. Jacob was inside, unharmed, but very confused.

"Felicia?"

Felicia ran to him and squeezed him in her arms. "J-Jacob…"

"Wh-what's this for?"

She let go of him and closed the door. "Jacob, someone's coming to kill you, right now."

He whimpered. "I died again? I'm sorry."

"Shut up and get behind me!" Felicia pushed him to the back of the room and clutched her knife. Before long, she heard footsteps.

_All right, show yourself. This time, you won't lay a finger on him!_

Someone knocked on the door. "Jacob? May I come in?"

_No… it can't be…_

'…  _and do not worry about Jacob. I checked on him a few minutes ago.'_

No, no no no no no.  _No!_

The door opened, and Flora stepped inside. "Jacob, are you…? Oh, Felicia, what–"

A chill ran down Felicia's spine. "Flora…"

Flora cocked her head. "Hmm? What is the matter?"

"Flora, empty your pockets."

"Huh? Why do you need–"

"Just do it!"

"U-umm… all right." Flora complied. On the floor, she laid down her keys, her wallet, her phone, a pack of mints…

And a knife.

It was no kitchen knife. It was a dagger, designed to kill, the same one that killed Jacob.

Felicia pointed to it. "What is that for?"

Flora picked it up. "This? I always have–"

Felicia thrust her own knife at her. "DROP IT!"

"F-Felicia…"

Hearing Felicia's cry, Mother came into the room running. "Felicia! What…?"

With wide eyes, Flora dropped her knife. "I…"

"SECURITY!"

At Mother's command, two Military Police officers came in and seized Flora. They dragged her out into the hallway. Felicia and the others followed.

"W-wait," Flora gasped, "this is a terrible misunderstanding. I would never harm either one of them."

"Felicia," Mother said, "care to explain what happened?"

Felicia frowned. "I had to reset. Right around this time, someone killed Jacob. I found him dead, with a knife in his back. I decided to reset and ambush the killer, and… she came."

Flora turned as pale as a ghost. "Wh-what?! Felicia! I would never–"

Mother violently slapped her. "Quiet, traitor!"

She sobbed. "I would never hurt you."

Why? Why did she have to deny it? It would have been so much easier if she had just admitted it, then Felicia would know she was telling the truth. Now? Felicia didn't know what to believe.

"That knife was the same one that killed Jacob," Felicia said. "Why else would you have it?"

"Part of my obligation is to protect you," Flora answered. "Yes, it is a weapon, but to be used against those who would harm you, never for murder."

_I didn't see her use it against Monty. Then again, the fight didn't last very long, especially not up close. Did she lose on purpose?_

Mother went back into Jacob's room and returned with the knife. "Is that so? Then what was this knife doing in my son's back?"

Flora trembled. "I… I do not know."

"No, I think I know exactly why it was there. I thought I could trust you, but it turns out you're just another Kawasaki."

Tears welled up in Flora's light blue eyes. "I've known your children for years now. I've taken care of them, watched them grow. They've become precious to me, as if they were my own."

Mother balled up her fists. "They are  _not_ your children, not after what you did to them."

"Th-they're important to me."

Mother looked at Jacob. "What do you think? Is she telling the truth?"

Jacob was silent for a while.

"Jacob, did Flora kill you?"

He grimaced.

"Jacob! Felicia's life depends on this!"

His body shaking, Jacob said, "I… I think it was Flora."

Flora's tears streaked down her face. "N-no, I swear I did not."

Felicia walked up to her and looked her in the eyes. She saw agony, sorrow, fear, but no malice. There was no hatred in Flora's eyes. Was she really that good at acting?

Mother wasn't convinced. "I've heard enough. Guards, arrest her."

The officers seized Flora's arms and handcuffed her.

"Attempted murder, of a child," Mother growled. "You are going to rot in prison for the rest of your life."

Flora sobbed, but she did not argue further. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Everything about this felt wrong. Flora denied any wrongdoing, but isn't that what she would say regardless? How could Felicia know if she was telling the truth? How could she know if  _anyone_ was telling the truth? Anyone around her could have been her enemy in disguise, even the ones she thought of as family. Could she accept that? Felicia thought Flora loved her. Could she accept living in a world where even the ones she trusted most could betray her?

Felicia screamed.

Everyone's heads turned to face her. Jacob winced. "Sister…"

Felicia ran to Flora and once again stared into her eyes. "Flora, tell me just one more time, tell me it wasn't you."

Flora stared back at her. "I did not harm Jacob."

That was all she needed to hear. Maybe she was a fool. Maybe Flora really was deceiving her, but she didn't care. Even if it earned her a knife in the back, Felicia was going to trust her.

"I believe you," she replied. She stared at her mother. "Let her go."

Mother sighed. "Felicia, I understand you don't want to repeat the same mistakes you made with Nora, but this is different. This must be done."

"No!"

"Felicia…"

"She's innocent!"

"Did you not hear Jacob?" Mother challenged. "Jacob, you said it was Flora, did you not?"

Jacob whimpered. "I… I…"

" _Jacob_ …"

He buried his face in his hands. "I don't know!"

Mother let out another frustrated sigh. "It doesn't matter.  _Someone_ is trying to kill my children, and Flora is the prime suspect. Take her away."

No, Felicia wasn't going to accept this. There was a better way.

Mother saw her. "Felicia! Don't re–"

**FILE LOADED**

Felicia gently opened the door. Jacob was inside. "Felicia?"

She smiled, and she hugged her brother. "Are you doing all right?"

"Uh… yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

"I've been better."

"Oh…"

Felicia gave him a pat on the back. "But don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."

"If you say so."

Soon, someone entered the room. "Jacob, are you…? Oh, Felicia." She smiled. "I see you wasted no time coming here."

Felicia smiled back. "Yeah."

With her magic, Flora could have easily killed both of them if she wanted to.

"I just wanted to check on Jacob," Flora said. "Are you doing okay?"

Jacob nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good to hear. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm all right."

"Okay, that is all. Stay safe."

"See you."

Flora bowed, and just like that, she left.

Perhaps Felicia's presence deterred her, or perhaps she was somehow aware that Felicia had reset. It was still  _possible_ that Flora was the killer, but Felicia didn't care. Maybe it was foolish, but even if it earned her a knife in the back, she was going to trust Flora.

Felicia heard a noise coming from outside. It sounded like… clapping, slow clapping. It grew closer. Already? Could she not have a chance to breathe? Quietly, Felicia shoved Jacob behind her. Was this the person who really killed him?

The clapping man entered the room. He was wearing a Military Police uniform, and his red eyes stared at Felicia smugly.

Monty smiled. "Well played."

Felicia whipped out her knife. Pointless, since Monty could turn her to ash with his magic, but it was the thought that counted. "How the hell did you get in here?!"

He chuckled and pointed at the insignia on his uniform. "What does it look like? I work here, as part of this mansion's upgraded security, to protect you."

_That doesn't make any sense!_

"But, my parents said they didn't know you," Felicia said. "No, you stole that uniform!"

"That's one possibility, but here's thing: I may be a murderer, but I'm an  _honest_ murderer. Really, it's the ones who  _pretend_ to love you that you have to watch out for."

Felicia grit her teeth. "Shut up! You killed Jacob!"

Monty laughed and held up his hands. "Wasn't me."

"Liar!" Felicia charged at him. Monty pulled out his pistol and shot her in the leg. She groaned in pain and fell to the floor.

Jacob gasped. "Felicia!"

Monty shot him in the head. His body died instantly, and his SOUL hovered over it.

Where was Mother? "M-Mom!" Felicia yelled. "He's here! Help!"

But nobody came.

Monty shot Jacob's SOUL, shattering it. Felicia's ears rang from the gunshots. Monty knelt down to face her. "Heh, well,  _now_ I killed Jacob."

Felicia said nothing. She just glared at him.

"Great job with Flora, by the way. You were right; she was innocent. I think you've earned a reward. I think it's time you finally learned the truth."

She struggled to stand up. "Why should I believe a word you say?"

"Come on, Felicia. Isn't it obvious who  _really_ wants you dead? Can you not tell who's manipulating you?"

She got back on her feet. "Shut up."

"It's so obvious that it's her. You just refuse to accept it."

Felicia ignored him, and she limped out into the hall.

"Did you really buy her little performances every time you and Jacob died? It's her. The one who was always the first to point to her finger. The one who encouraged you to confront Nora, and the one who tried to make you feel like shit for doing it."

_No, you're lying._

"You were looking for a liar, and she's been lying to you this whole time. She's always changing her stance when it suits her. Didn't you find the way she changed her mind about letting you take responsibility awfully sudden? Just one little mistake, and you're off the case? No, she just wanted you to blame yourself. She wanted you to feel like you deserved death. She may have an integrity SOUL, but perhaps that is the greatest lie of all."

_Get away from me._

"Did you know that green SOULs actually make great assassins? Having a kindness SOUL just means you have the skill to  _show_  kindness; it means you're  _good_  at it. It doesn't mean you have to actually  _be_  kind. Be careful with them. They may give you a warm smile, and a gentle stab."

Felicia limped through the halls, leaving a trail of blood from her bullet wound. She almost tripped over Flora's corpse. Where was Mother? Maybe she was in the garden.

"She never wanted a daughter. She wanted someone to carry on her legacy. That's why she always talked about 'making her proud' and how you 'dishonored your name.' She always says that anyone who harms a Malcom does not go unpunished, and Malcoms themselves are no exception to her. She even called you a  _monster_. What kind of mother calls her own child a monster? Well, besides actual monsters, I guess."

"Shut. Up."

"But who can blame her? You want to set free an entire race of beings with the potential to become gods. How many of them do you think are down there? Can't be more than a million, I imagine. You are risking the lives of ten billion people for the sake of one million. I'm not a gambling man, but I don't like those stakes."

Felicia limped out into the garden. She was right! Mother was there, standing by the fountain. Felicia moved towards her.

Mother saw her, and she saw Monty behind her.

"Mother!" Felicia cried. "That's Monty! He killed Jacob!"

"…So it is," Mother said. She approached him. "I take it our trick with Flora didn't work?"

"Not quite," Monty answered. "We had her going, but she reset in the end."

She took out a replica of Flora's knife. "What a shame."

_N-no…_

Panting, Felicia collapsed to the ground, sickened to her core. Her vision grew cloudy and dark. How could Mother…?

Elizabeth looked down at her with dead blue eyes. "I suppose the truth will have to suffice."

"Why?" Felicia breathed.

Monty stomped on her face. "Were you not listening to a word I said?"

Felicia whimpered, and she closed her eyes. She just wanted it all to end.

Monty sounded genuinely disappointed. "Really? It was that easy? I expected more from a fellow DT SOUL."

"Go to hell," Felicia muttered.

"Do you think I'm enjoying this?" Elizabeth asked. "No, I am  _not_ happy that I have to kill my own daughter, but you've given me no choice."

"No choice? Haha… such a cliché."

"When you first started gushing over monsters, I was going to let it go. I figured you were relatively harmless. There was always Jacob, after all. But then, you just had to become the World Master, and that changed everything. You were harmless no longer; you became a threat to the entire world. I cannot let that stand."

"So, you're just going to kill me?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Yes."

"I loved you…"

"I wish I could say I loved you as well, but even I'm not that much of a hypocrite."

"So, what now?"

"That depends on you," Monty said. "What we want is quite simple. We simply need you to die, and not reset."

"But, I thought you wanted something else?"

He smiled. "Yes, and I shall have it. We'll both get what we want."

"What…?"

"Obviously, we want you to reset first," Elizabeth said. "Reset all the way back to when this started, and we'll take care of the rest. It'll be like none of this ever happened."

"What will happen to Jacob?"

"It's likely he will become the next World Master. Hopefully, he won't adopt your insane way of thinking. He  _won't_. He's not like you. He'll make a fine successor. With him in power, this world will never be destroyed like so many others have been."

Felicia managed to stand back up. "And what if I refuse?"

Monty grinned. "Now that's the spirit! I'm glad you asked!"

He coated his arms with magic, and he reached straight through her chest. What the hell?! Monty's hand phased through her body, as if it were just an illusion. Felicia only felt a slight heat. What was this?

Monty grabbed something, her SOUL. An unimaginable pain coursed through Felicia's entire body. It felt like someone was  _grabbing her heart._ She couldn't stop herself from screaming. She remembered that he killed Flora the same way. Oh, Flora…

"You know," Monty said, "some  _idiots_ think this is a sex thing. Those people must be some real sadists, huh? Touching hearts is nice metaphorically, but literally? Not so much."

He applied more pressure. Felicia winced as even more pain jolted through her. She felt her HP drain slowly,  _slowly._ It hurt so much, like her insides were on fire. How was it killing her slowly?!

"If you won't submit," Monty said, "this is what I'll do to Jacob, and Flora, and Nate, and Nora, and maybe even your father. He has nothing to do with this, by the way. He's just another victim here."

_Father… Everyone…_

"All of you will suffer together. How long can you last? Who knows? Maybe one reset, you'll find a way to kill me, but even if that happens, I'll just be replaced. And what will you do about your mother? Can you really kill your own mother? How will you get away with it? How will you defeat the leader of the entire world? How can you possibly win? I think it's safe to say that you've got trouble."

She couldn't take anymore. She gathered what little was left of her determination.

**FILE LOADED**

_Did that really just happen?_

How could Mother… How could Elizabeth do that? She was  _her mother!_ How could she betray her? Felicia clutched her chest, still feeling the phantom pain from Monty's torture. She felt like her SOUL would shatter right there.

Flora turned around. "Felicia…?"

_Flora..._

Felicia couldn't hold back her tears. She ran to Flora and cried in her arms.

"Aww, don't cry," Flora soothed. "It will be all right."

"N-no, it won't," Felicia sobbed. "Nothing is all right."

"Felicia…"

"It's my mother, Flora."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"E-Elizabeth?"

She nodded.

"Are you certain?"

She nodded. "She said it herself."

"Oh my… Oh, Felicia…"

She sniffled. "Honestly, I don't know how I'm supposed to go on."

"I… I cannot imagine how you feel," Flora said.

"I just want this all to be over. I don't know what to do."

Flora considered her words carefully. "We have to protect Jacob."

"Jacob…"

"Yes, he needs your help,  _our_  help. Even if you wish to give up, I will not give up on you."

Felicia wiped away her worthless tears. She was right. Felicia didn't know how they were going to win, but she had to try, for Jacob. Elizabeth didn't care about him. He was just a pawn to her. She was even using him as part of her plot to kill Felicia. It was sick. Felicia couldn't just give up. She had to do everything in her power to stop her. That's what it meant to be a World Master.

"All right," Felicia said, "let's get Jacob out of here."

Felicia had reset back to the moment just before she began her investigation of Nora, about two days back, and the same day she killed Kawasaki. Monty said he was part of an upgraded security force in response to the attempt on her life. There was no way he was here yet, but he would be coming. They had to move quickly.

Felicia wasted no time taking Jacob with her. It wasn't difficult to convince him. He was always an obedient child, very unlike Felicia. He didn't even question why Felicia wanted him to come with her.

How could someone like him ever make a good president?

Together, they left the mansion with Flora. Once outside, Felicia desperately tried to figure out what to do. Where could they go? They couldn't call the police. What would they say?

_Hey! My evil president mom is trying to kill me! Please help!_

No one would believe her. It was hard to convict someone of a crime that technically hadn't been committed, especially when that person was the President of the Human Government.

She still couldn't believe that Elizabeth would do this.

Flora held her shoulder. "I am here for you."

She frowned, but she was grateful. "Thank you, Flora. Thank you so much."

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked.

Should she tell him? Would he believe her? No, he wouldn't. In his position, Felicia wouldn't believe it herself.

Flora opened her mouth to speak. Felicia stopped her. "Not yet," she whispered.

Flora nodded. "Where should we go?"

"I thought we were going to the Millers?" Jacob asked.

Perhaps that was their best option. Maybe she could ask them for help. They would understand what was happening. Their research helped trigger all this, after all. Felicia didn't blame them for it, but she hoped they would help her. They had to. Nate and Nora's lives were on the line as well.

"Yeah, that's right," Felicia said. "We're going to the Millers."

Flora let them into her car and started the engine. Felicia took shotgun while Jacob rode in the back, and Flora drove her away from her former home.

"I'm sorry," Felicia whispered. "I wish I didn't have to drag you into this."

She frowned. "I am not ready to die," she said truthfully. "I want to see my husband again."

Felicia had almost forgotten she was married. She had been married for about one year, if Felicia recalled correctly.

"I'm so sorry," Felicia repeated, "but you're a target now. Everyone close to me is a hostage for Monty to kill."

"Monty?"

"A  _real_ charming assassin mage. He's killed you twice."

"O-oh…"

Felicia had to change the subject, to literally anything else. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, do you plan on having children of your own?"

"We have been waiting," Flora answered. "I do want them, but I am in no hurry. I already have you and Jacob, after all. Or, I  _had_  you and Jacob. I suppose I am technically out of a job now."

Felicia managed a slight smile. "I guess so."

As Flora kept driving, Felicia kept her head on a swivel, half-expecting an ambush from Monty or the Military Police, but it didn't come. They arrived at their destination without incident.

Just like last time, John and Eva greeted them at the entrance, and they expressed their sympathy for her situation. If only they knew the full story. Well, they were about to find out.

"But, Felicia," Eva said, "we've noticed that you've made a rather long reset, over two days. Something tells me we've already had this conversation."

Felicia nodded. "Yes, and I'm sorry. I've found out the hard way who's trying to kill me."

Jacob's head turned. "Wait, what?"

"You have?" John asked. "Who is it? And… why are you here?"

_Yeah, why am I here? Why couldn't I have just been a normal girl, with a normal family, the kind that doesn't try to murder me and everyone I love? Why did I have to become the World Master? What good has it done for me, for anyone? Is it just a horrible coincidence, or is there some kind of cruel god orchestrating all this? I guess it's one of life's great mysteries._

Felicia frowned. "You might not believe me, but… it's my mother."

There was silence for a while.

"N-no!" Jacob said. "That can't be right! You're wrong!"

"She said it herself."

"But, she's  _Mom_!"

"Not anymore."

"H-how could you say that?"

"I don't like it any more than you do."

Jacob fell to his knees. In an instant, his whole world had been torn apart. No kid deserved what was happening to him.

"I… I believe you," Eva said.

John grimaced. "Our research…"

"I knew we should have kept it secret."

"Don't blame yourselves," Felicia said. "Elizabeth made her choice. You had nothing to do with that."

"Do you have any evidence against her?" Eva asked.

"No, only my own memories, of things that haven't happened."

"That won't hold up in court."

"I know."

"So, why did you come here?" John asked.

Felicia took a deep breath. "I know this is a lot to ask, but please… help me."

For a while, the scientists were quiet as they processed the weight of Felicia's request.

"I hate to ask this of you," Felicia said, "but your children are in danger as well. Elizabeth isn't alone. She has a dangerous killer on her side, and he's threatened to kill everyone I care about. That includes Nate and Nora. So, even if you won't protect me, please look out for them."

John clenched his fists. "They threatened our children too?"

"Yes, they did."

"They won't get away with that," Eva growled. "Felicia, go on inside. We will do everything we can to help you."

Their words restored Felicia's hope. She bowed. "Thank you! I'll never forget this!"

"Don't worry," John said, "We won't sit around and let these child killers win."

"We need to explain this to Nora and Nate," Eva said.

Felicia frowned. "Yeah…"

They went inside. The scientists gathered Nora and Nate, and they brought them to the dining room. They all sat down at the table.

Nate sat down next to her. "Felicia, are you doing okay?"

"You have no idea."

She explained everything, starting from Monty's first appearance, Jacob's murder, and then Elizabeth's betrayal. She especially made sure they knew everything Monty was capable of, what they were up against.

"It's seriously your Mom?!" Nate exclaimed.

"I'm not surprised," Nora said.

Jacob glared at her. She shrugged. "What? It really isn't much of a shocker."

He slammed his fist on the table. "Shut up!"

Everyone was silent. Jacob  _never_ got that forceful.

"Sorry," Nora whispered, realizing how insensitive she was being.

"We just need to figure out what to do," Felicia said.

"We can't hide you here forever," John said. "Your parents are going to wonder where you've gone."

"And if everything you say is true, Monty will come," Eva said.

_Monty…_

Felicia didn't know how to defeat Elizabeth, but she knew what they had to do first. They had to kill Monty.

"I don't think we have much time," Felicia said. "Do you have any weapons here? You're scientists, right? Any fancy gadgets that might help us?"

"Umm… I don't know about that," John said, "but..."

"We have some handguns," Eva said.

"You know, in case anyone decides to rob us."

"It's important to be prepared."

"Well, that's something," Felicia said, "but I don't know if it's going to be enough. This guy's powerful."

"Flora's a mage too, right?" Nora asked.

Flora nodded. "Yes, however…"

"Monty killed her before," Felicia said. "I hate to admit it, but he's stronger than her."

Nora frowned. "Red SOULs always are. But, if we work together, we can beat him!"

"I hope so." Felicia looked at the scientists. "So, about those guns…"

Eva nodded. "We have two M191X pistols."

"191X? They were made in the 1910s? That's pretty old." Felicia wasn't very confident about a model that was designed one hundred eighty years ago.

"They've been passed down along the family, and I assure you that they're very effective. We also have a .44 revolver that John's father used while serving in the Military Police."

Felicia wasn't exactly a gun nut, but she knew what a .44 was. Its high stopping power could do some significant damage to Monty's barrier.

"I have just one question," Nora said. "Where are the swords?"

"Nora, no!" John yelled. "You are  _not_ fighting him!"

"You think you, Mom, and Flora can take him?" Nora asked. "If one mage couldn't do it, a couple scientists with pistols aren't going to make a difference. Like I said, we  _all_ need to work together."

"I said you're not–"

"Felicia can just reset if I die! What are you worried about?"

"Well, she's right," Felicia said. "I say she should at least have something for self-defense, just in case."

John sighed. "I guess that's true."

"I know Grandfather had one," Nora said.

"It's with the guns," Eva said, "but do  _not_ do anything reckless. It's only to defend yourself."

"Fine," Nora groused.

"Hey," Nate said, "can I have the revolver?"

John held his head. "What is happening here?"

"This is so wrong," Eva agreed.

"Can I have it?" Nate asked again.

"Fine," John groused. "Your Mom and I will take the other pistols."

Eva looked at Flora. "What about you? Do you need a weapon?"

"I have a knife," Flora answered, "and my magic, of course."

"I also have a knife," Felicia said.

Nora scoffed. "Swords are better."

Eva looked at Jacob. "What about him?"

His face was pressed against the table. "I don't care. If Mom wants to kill me, let her kill me."

Damn it. He was completely broken, not that Felicia blamed him. It was all she could do to resist saying the exact same thing, to stop thinking of Elizabeth as 'Mother.'

Flora held his shoulder. "Jacob…"

"Don't touch me!" he snapped.

With a whimper, Flora let go. "My apologizes."

"Leave me alone!"

She frowned. "If you that's what you think is best…"

_Jacob, this isn't her fault. Don't take it out on her._

"Uh… all right then," John said. "If this Monty guy shows up, we'll be ready."

"I'll go get everything," Eva said. She got up to leave.

Felicia got up too, desperate for a chance to breathe. She stepped out into the hall. Nate followed her. "Felicia, I am so sorry."

"What for?" she asked. "You didn't do anything."

"Is there anything I  _can_ do for you?"

Felicia looked at Nate's handsome face. His yellow eyes were full of compassion for her, and Felicia trusted him, even after what Elizabeth did. But, Nate did want something from her, and she thought she might have wanted it too. They were young, so maybe it was naïve to think that anything between them would last. Still, Felicia would have liked to at least give it a try.

And to do that, she needed to live.

"I don't want you to kill for me," Felicia said, "so… just stay alive, okay?"

"I can't promise that."

"Nate…"

"Killing Monty would be justice."

_He's not exactly wrong, but…_

"I don't want his filthy EXP on your stats," Felicia said. "Uh, assuming he's even worth EXP… Is he worth EXP?"

"He shouldn't be," Nate said. "I can't see why anyone would care about a person like him. His death shouldn't cause any pain whatsoever."

"Well, I don't want his blood on your hands, then."

"I'll just wash them."

Felicia let out a half-sigh and a half-chuckle. "Oh, Nate…"

He smiled, and he hugged her in a warm embrace. "I just want to help you."

A mixture of feelings swelled within Felicia's SOUL. She felt a sense of longing, but she also felt guilt. Would Nate hold her like this if he remembered what she did to Nora?

"Nate," she whispered, "before I found out it was Elizabeth, I thought it was Nora, and I… I did some horrible things to her. I…"

"Tell me later," Nate said. "It can't be any worse than what Monty and Elizabeth have done. Let's bring them to justice first."

"Heh, all right."

"Whatever happened, I'm sure I never stopped caring about you."

Felicia felt her face flush. "Nate… thank you…"

As they held each other, Eva came with the revolver. "Umm… am I interrupting something?"

Nate quickly let go of her, his face reddened. "O-oh, hey Mom!"

She handed him the revolver. "Well, here you are. This is only for your safety, you hear me? Don't do anything reckless."

"R-right, I won't."

Eva pulled out something else, a handful of syringes filled with a yellow liquid. Felicia knew exactly what it was. "And take these," Eva said. "This is DT extract. If you're hurt, this will heal any wound instantly, but be careful. If you use too much, there may be… side effects."

Nate and Felicia both took some.

"What kind of side effects?" Nate asked.

"You don't want to know," Felicia said.

"Please be careful," Eva said.

Nate nodded. "I will, Mom."

She pat him on the head. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Felicia frowned, and Eva noticed. "Oh, you poor thing. I can't imagine what you're going through. If anyone hurt my children, well… let's not find out, okay?"

"Yeah."

"We are no soldiers, but if they want a fight, we'll give them one."

"We will."

Eva left to give the others their equipment, and Felicia steeled herself for what was to come. She didn't know if there was a way out. Even if they killed Monty, what then? How would they defeat Elizabeth? Was there any point in struggling?

Even if it was pointless, she had to. If Felicia was going to die, she was going to die fighting.

* * *

Asgore checked the time. It was past eleven, and Chara was still asleep? Had she not gone to bed before midnight? He hated to disturb her, but he had to go to the Embassy soon. Asgore went to the guest room and knocked on the door.

"Chara? Are you all right?"

There was no response.

"Chara, I'm going to come in, okay?" Asgore opened the door. He saw Chara asleep on the bed. He gently shook her shoulder. "Chara, please wake up."

Chara didn't wake up.


	28. Unsaved Progress

" **Are you sure? All unsaved progress will be lost."**

* * *

_Beep… beep… beep…_

Frisk held Chara's hand as she slept in the hospital bed. Everything was silent except for the steady beat of the heart monitor.

_Chara… please be okay._

She had been asleep for a week. The doctors had no idea what the cause was. For unknown reasons, Chara had fallen into a coma, and many hoped she would never wake up.

But Frisk knew why. It must have had something to do with her SOUL, and the memories it contained. He could only assume that Chara had was nearing the end of Felicia's life. She was once again suffering the pain of a slow, agonizing death. It was heartbreaking to see her like this.

_What will happen when it ends? When Felicia dies, will Chara…?_

No, no! What a terrible thought! She was going to be fine! He just had to be patient. Chara would get through this, no problem.

_Beep… beep…_

Frisk kissed her forehead. "I miss you, Chara," he whispered, "but I believe in you. You can get through this. Just stay determined. I know that's what they said last time; I know it sounds like an empty promise. I wish I could do more than beg for you to wake up. If I could, I would take your place in a heartbeat. I love you."

_Beep… beep…_

Just as he turned to leave, the nurse opened the door. "Excuse me, someone else is here to see the patient."

Frisk wondered who it was. Probably not Asriel; he was just here. Maybe it was Asgore. After he discovered Chara unconscious, he had spent quite some time in the hospital himself. The whole thing was all too familiar for him. It also could have been Toriel, who came in as often as Frisk did, or maybe it was one of her friends. Maybe Undyne? Alphys? Napstablook?

No, it was…

Elodie?!

She slowly entered the room. "Umm…"

Frisk instinctively shielded Chara from her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm… just here to see Chara," she said. "That's all."

"Is it? How do I know you won't try to hurt her again?"

"You don't. You'll just have to trust me."

Frisk hesitated. Chara had been trying so hard to make friends with her, but Elodie didn't seem to care. Ever since Malcom released those tapes, Chara and Frisk had to hear the same grievances over and over; people just wouldn't let it go. They demanded 'justice,' and Elodie had taken it into her own hands. Could Frisk really believe she had a change of heart?

He stepped aside, but he watched closely.

Elodie looked down at Chara, and she folded her arms. "What's the matter, Chara? Giving up already? I didn't think you were a quitter. I guess the truth is,  _you_ were the worthless crybaby all along."

_Oh, I can see this is going to be_ real  _constructive._

"Whatever happened to saving Asriel?" she asked. "How can you help him when you're asleep? You're useless."

_Beep… beep…_

"Hey, Chara, did you know that your name sounds like the word for 'shit' in Hebrew? I find that very fitting."

Did she want another punch in the face?!

"Oh, come on," she growled. "Wake up already."

_Beep… beep…_

She threw her hands up. "Okay! I'm sorry! There, are you happy now? I'm sorry I murdered you! I thought letting you live was so disrespectful to Asriel, but… he didn't seem very happy with me, so… AGH! I don't know!"

_Beep… beep…_

"I thought I would be happy to see you like this, but I'm not. I feel like something's missing without you in class. You've done nothing but put up with me, no matter what I did to you. So… maybe I didn't know you as well as I thought. I guess… I just hope you wake up, okay?"

Frisk was surprised. She really felt bad for Chara? Her words were actually kind of sweet, in her own way.

"Hey, thank you," Frisk said. "I'm sure she would be glad to hear that."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

"I mean it. I'm glad you're warming up to her." He smiled. "I'm sure you'll make great friends."

She got just a little embarrassed. "Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"But… does her name really sound like Hebrew for 'shit?'"

Elodie smiled. "I mean, depending on how you pronounce it, and it does mean better things in other languages. In Greek, it sounds like 'joy,' and in Irish, it's like the word for 'friend.'"

"You've done your research," Frisk noted. "Why are you so interested in Chara?"

She frowned. "You know why. You care about her so much, even saving her from death itself. I wanted to understand why someone like her deserved to be saved, but not…" She sighed. "I know, it's stupid. You didn't know her. That's all there is to it."

Frisk was struck with guilt. It wasn't just Chara who Elodie hated; she hated  _him_. "Elodie, I'm sure I would have saved her if I knew her. I really am sorry, but I just can't. Please understand."

She sniffled. "I know, I know. It's not like you killed her. Booker killed her, not you."

He blinked. "Booker?"

"The drunk driver who crashed into her. He's actually the president's father. I can't believe how low he's fallen."

_Huh… what an unfortunate coincidence._

"His ex-wife personally apologized to my family," Elodie said. "Yeah, Elizabeth Malcom herself came to see us. She couldn't bring Mom back, but she did pay us a settlement. She's a nice woman."

"Oh, that's good. I mean, I know nothing can replace your mother, but still…"

"Yeah." She looked back at Chara. "Anyway, how did she end up like this?"

"It's… complicated," Frisk said. "Let's just say it involves the whole brought back from the dead thing."

She seemed to examine Chara's face closely. "She is cute, though."

He smiled. "Oh? First she's a piece of shit, and now she's cute? Is someone being a tsundere?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. She's still a demon. She just happens to be a very attractive demon."

"Yeah…" He winked. "You're not so bad yourself."

Elodie shook her head. "I see nothing will stop you from doing that."

"And, uh, sorry about hitting you."

"Frisk, that's a perfectly reasonable reaction to someone who wanted to kill your lover."

"Well, I forgive you."

She smirked. "I didn't think a pacifist like you could hit so hard. I underestimated you."

That triggered some bad memories from the Underground. He frowned. "It wasn't the first time I've hit someone."

"Oh…" She sighed. "Well, I'll leave you two alone now. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Hey, I appreciate this," he said. "Really, thank you."

"You're still too forgiving," she said. "One of these days, it's going to get you in serious trouble."

"Probably."

Elodie smiled, and she left. Before he followed, Frisk took one last look at Chara. He knew she would wake up; she had to.

But, when she did, would she be the same?

* * *

Attempt 1

Night fell, and everyone was getting ready for the inevitable battle. Nate was inspecting his revolver, and Nora was playing with her sword like it was a toy, smiling giddily as she swung it in the air.

"Nora," Felicia chided, "this is serious. Monty is going to fight us to the death. You could  _die_."

"Exactly," Nora said. "These could be my last moments, so why be morose about it? If I'm gonna die, I might as well try to have a little fun before I go."

That was an… interesting perspective.

Nora kept swinging her sword. Felicia inquisitively cocked her head. "Why are you so obsessed with swords anyway?"

She smirked. "Because guns are so uncivilized," she said, imitating a certain movie character.

Felicia groaned. "Nora…"

"An elegant weapon for a more civilized age!"

_We're so screwed._

Felicia turned her attention to Nate, who was practicing reloading. He fumbled, dropping his speed loader on the ground. "Damn it!"

Felicia picked up the fallen bullets for him. "Calm down, it's okay."

"It's not okay!" he shouted. "How can I protect you if I can't even load this stupid thing?!"

"See?" Nora said. "This is what I'm talking about. If you stress out, you're just making it worse for yourself."

That probably wasn't helping. Nora wasn't a very good people person.

Nate tried to reload again. He held his gun upright and, with a shaking hand, tried to load the bullets. Felicia grabbed his arm. "Hey, I think you should try holding the gun  _down_. Let gravity help you."

He followed her advice, and the bullets clicked into place. "Oh, of course. I'm such an idiot."

She held his shoulder. "Don't say that."

Nate took a deep, shaky breath. "Felicia… I'm so scared…"

She hugged him. "Me too, Nate."

Nora rolled her eyes. "Ugh, get a room you two."

"Aren't you even a little scared?" Nate asked.

"I told you," Nora said. "Unless Monty has some kind of weakness to salt water, whining about it won't help. We're not children anymore. We don't cry every time something bad happens."

Felicia had to admit, she would have loved it if Jacob had taken Nora's advice. He didn't seem to have any intention of defending himself. When Monty came, he was just going to hide in the house and wait. He was only a ten-year-old child, so it was probably for the best. Still, Felicia's darker side couldn't help but feel just a little betrayed by his cowardice.

"I… I know," Nate said. "You're always right, Nora."

The doorbell rang, and tension immediately soared. They quietly moved to a window where they could see outside the front door.

He was there, dressed in his Military Police uniform, with a gun and a sword on his waist. Felicia rushed to John and Eva. "That's him."

John nodded. "What do you want to do?"

Felicia clenched her fists. "Kill him. Right now."

John and Eva looked at each other. Oh, come on…

"Felicia," Eva said, "it's not that we think you'd lie about this, but I don't think we can just… do that to someone."

"He killed your children!" Felicia shouted. "That should be more than enough motive!"

"But…"

Monty knocked on the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Miller? This is the Military Police."

"Maybe we don't have to fight?" John suggested.

Felicia sighed. "I guess it's worth a shot…"

Weapons concealed, John and Eva went to the door. Felicia hid in a room nearby, and Flora stood in front of her. John opened the door.

"Good evening," Monty said with false courtesy. "I am investigating the recent disappearance of the children Felicia Malcom and Jacob Malcom, as well as a woman named Flora Hemlock. If you have any information that could help us find them, disclose it now."

They played dumb. "They're missing?" Eva said.

"I'm sorry," John said. "We haven't seen them since the attempt on Felicia's life."

His professional façade immediately began to crack. "Are you sure? Their mother said they were heading to this home when she last saw them earlier this day."

"Well, they weren't here," Eva said.

"How many people are currently in your home?"

They hesitated, surprised by the question. "Umm, four," John said. "Just us and our two kids."

"Really?" Monty pulled out some kind of device. "My scanner indicates there are seven."

_Damn it!_

The scientists' eyes widened. "Umm… well…"

"Lying isn't nice," Monty said. He called out inside the house. "Isn't that right, Felicia? Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."

_You…_

She heard Nate shout behind her. "Nora, no!"

Nora dashed past her, holding her sword in the air with a fiery battle cry. She sprinted towards Monty. "You child killer!"

Monty causally pulled out his pistol and shot Nora in the head. Both of her parents caught her falling body. "Nora!"

Two more gunshots cracked, and Nora's parents collapsed on their child.

"NO!" Nate raised his revolver and fired all six of his shots. At the same time, Flora lashed out with her ice magic. Monty effortlessly deflected both attackers with his barrier magic. Before Nate could reload, Monty sent a bullet through his skull, and he joined the rest of his family. Flora, surrounded by bodies, lost her will to fight. Monty took out his sword and ran it through her heart. He pulled it out, and Flora fell. In just seconds, everyone was dead.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Attempt 2

"Attack on sight!" Felicia yelled.

They didn't argue this time. They took positions in the entrance hall.

Flora stepped out in front. "Let me take the lead."

Yeah, that was probably the best strategy. Flora was by far the most capable fighter, and the only one who could block a bullet. She would attack head-on while the others did their best to support her.

"And Nora," Felicia said, "do  _not_  rush him this time."

"Oh, I did that?"

"Yes, and you died horribly."

Nora nervously laughed. "Uh, oops?"

"Damn it, Nor–"

Monty kicked open the front door. Flora reacted quickly and blocked his first gunshot, and she immediately retailed with ice pellets. John, Eva, and Nate all fired their pistols at him. Monty skillfully dodged Flora's magic and sealed off the entire doorway with a bright wall of light. Everyone's bullets bounced off it and clanged against the floor.

Nate properly reloaded. "Bastard…"

Felicia looked around to make sure no one was hurt. She couldn't let anyone die. If even one person did, she'd reset. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Flora aimed a spell at the barrier. "I'll..."

The barrier disappeared, and something flew through. It was a small, round object, shaped like a pineapple.

_Bang!_

Felicia was knocked off her feet by an intense, searing shock. Her ears rang, and her vision blurred from pain as the fragmentation lodged into her body. She reached for her DT syringe, but it was kicked out of her hand. The last thing she saw was the barrel of a gun pointed at her face, and a brilliant flash.

* * *

Attempt 3

"So… he has grenades," Felicia said.

"How armed is he?!" John exclaimed.

"I… I don't know if we can do this," Eva said. "Like I said, we're not soldiers."

Felicia wasn't going to tolerate any quitter talk. "You have it easy!" she snapped. "You get to forget everything! I'm the only one that has to remember what it feels like!"

"We're not the ones who can rewind time!" Eva snapped back. "I imagine dying's not so bad once you get used to it!"

She did  _not_ just say that! "You have no idea what –"

"Hey, don't get mad at  _them_!" Nora said. "Take it out on Monty!"

Felicia took a deep breath. "Right…"

She pointed to the door. "He's going to kick it down. Flora, have a volley of ice pellets ready. John, Eva, Nate, spread out and back her up."

They followed her directions. John, Eva, and Nate took position, and Flora summoned an array of magic projectiles by the door.

_Any second now…_

But, it didn't come. Instead, Felicia heard a window shatter somewhere in the back… where Jacob was hiding.

"JACOB!" Felicia ran to the room he was in, just in time to see Monty withdraw his blade from Jacob's chest.

* * *

Attempt 4

Felicia slammed her fist into the wall, startling the others. "Damn it!"

Nora jumped. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Don't let this scare you," she said, "but we've failed three times so far."

Nora, of course, was unfazed. "Well, don't give up. He can't keep killing forever. Keep fighting!"

This wasn't like a video game, where the enemy became predictable as time went on. Monty was a real person, who remembered every reset. He would never strike the same way twice. This would have been so much easier if his memories didn't carry over through resets.

And not to mention dying hurt like hell.

"Screw playing defense," Felicia said. "Let's move out and attack  _him_."

Nora raised her sword. "Yeah!"

The others weren't so enthusiastic, but they prepared to fight. With Flora in the lead, they moved out the front door, Flora lit up the night with a bright illumination spell, and they spotted Monty in the yard.

"Okay, for real this time!" Felicia shouted.

Everyone stayed close behind Flora. She cast a blizzard and sent its deadly ice magic flying all around Monty. For the first time, he finally took a few hits, but he only sustained minor injuries, indicating high defense and HP. How much EXP did this creature have?

Monty countered with his own magic. Fire and ice clashed. Several streaks of flame raced towards Flora. She swiftly jumped out of the way, and they continued dueling. John, Eva, and Nate provided cover fire, but despite being distracted by Flora, he continued to repel their gunshots with ease.

Nora ran to Felicia's side. "Now's our chance," she whispered. "Hammer and anvil. There's no way he can stop us while dealing with all that. Let's move in for the kill."

Felicia gripped her knife. "Let's go."

Together, they approached Monty from the side while the others held him down with their ranged attacks. They closed the distance, and Nora swung her sword.

With practiced motions, Monty pulled out his own sword and parried Nora's attack. At the same time, he cast a massive barrier of light separating himself from his ranged attackers, and he aimed his sword at Nora.

Felicia wasn't going to give him the chance. She stepped in and thrust her knife at him. Too late, Felicia realized that his attack on Nora was a feint. He spun around and swung his sword across Felicia's wrist, slicing her hand clean off. She shrieked as she grasped her bleeding arm.

Her hand… her hand was  _gone_.

Felicia again felt a burning pain and sickness as crimson blood squirted out of the place her right hand should have been. She stumbled backwards and fell down. Her heart raced uncontrollably; she felt like she was going to pass out from the pain. Should she reset?

She did her best to calm down. As long as no one died, she couldn't give up. Losing her hand would be worth it if it meant putting an end to this murderer.

She managed to look up and focus. Nora was still fighting him, and doing a surprisingly good job. Nora managed to block a swing from Monty. Felicia didn't think Nora actually had any experience with sword fighting.

Monty parried another strike. "Huh, not bad, for a beginner."

Nora didn't seem much for conversation at the moment. She kept attacking, to no avail. Felicia got the feeling Monty could have ended the fight whenever he wanted.

"Why do you want to be a soldier?" Monty asked. "For adventure? To serve humanity?"

Nora ignored him and kept fighting. She gave another powerful swing, and they locked swords.

"Or, is it to defend yourself from the imminent monster threat? Scared that a goat will try to steal your soul? You like to think of yourself as the strong kid in your family, but in reality, you're terrified."

Nora clenched her teeth. "Maybe it's to rid the world of people like you!"

From her right hand, she threw a fireball right into Monty's face, knocking him back. Nora quickly followed up with a downward swing, but Monty quickly recovered and parried the attack, knocking Nora off balance. In a flash, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Nora's face. She squealed and threw up her hands. Felicia's heart stopped as Monty fired. That was it. She had no choice but to…

The bullet bounced off a wall of light.

"Holy shit!" Nora exclaimed. "I did it! I…" She grew dizzy.

Monty ripped Nora's SOUL out of her chest. She let out a bloodcurdling scream as it shattered.

* * *

Attempt 5

Felicia moved around the fingers of her right hand. At least she had it back.

"Nora," Felicia said, "you didn't tell me you could cast barriers."

"I did?!" Nora said in shock. "That's awesome!"

"You still died!"

"Hey, progress!"

"Well, can you do it again?"

"Let me try." Nora closed her eyes, held out her hands, and concentrated. She groaned with strained effort. "I..."

"Just imagine Monty's about to shoot you."

"I don't even know what he looks like."

_Great…_

A barrier flicked in front of her. It stayed solid for a couple seconds before flickering and dying. Exhausted, Nora held her head. "Whoa… but… I think I might have used up a lot of EN…" She passed out.

Felicia sighed.

* * *

Attempt 6

They tried attacking him in the front yard again. Flora again took the lead. John, Eva, and Nate spread out in a wide fan while Felicia and Nora waited for their chance. They were going to try the same thing, except this time, John and Nate were going to flank him so his barrier couldn't block both of them at the same…

_Bang!_

A fine red mist sprayed out of Nate's head.

* * *

Attempt 7

Okay, so the gunmen needed to stay close enough to Flora so she could protect them, but they also needed to find a way to get around him so he couldn't block all their attacks. How were they going to do that? If only Nora's magic was more reliable. Just a second barrier could've made a serious difference.

Maybe they just had to stay patient. Wear out his EN. Felicia had things play out about the same as the fourth attempt, with everyone behind Flora. Except, when Nora suggested charging him, Felicia held her back.

"Then what the hell are we gonna do?!"

"You know some magic, don't you?"

"Ugh, fine."

Nora cast her fireballs and threw them at Monty. She was doing her best, but her magic was weak compared to Monty. He didn't even bother blocking or evading Nora's attacks; they practically bounced off his body. That didn't stop Nora from trying, however.

As expected, most of Monty's attention seemed to be focused on Flora. She got a few more hits in, but Monty still didn't seem to be hurt much. Flora, on the other hand, was getting very tired. She couldn't do this forever.

Monty pulled out something, a DT syringe, and he injected himself. He probably didn't even need it yet; he was just letting them know they hadn't even scratched the surface of what he was capable of. Smug bastard.

Another barrage of flames crashed against Flora's barrier. She whimpered. "I don't know how much longer I can…"

Flora's barrier flickered. Monty dashed forward and sliced it open with his sword, and then he brought it down through Flora's shoulder.

* * *

Attempt 13

They weren't any closer to beating him.

* * *

Attempt 17

Nate was blown up by a grenade

* * *

Attempt 21

Eva was burned to ash.

* * *

Attempt 25

John was shot through his right eye.

* * *

Attempt 29

Felicia was getting better at avoiding Monty's attacks. She and Nora clashed with him while Flora and the others tried to run around his barrier. They just needed to hold him off for a few seconds.

Nora parried a strike aimed and Felicia, and she immediately stepped in to attack, not giving Monty a chance to use his pistol. The others were almost in range. They began to line up their shots…

_Whoosh!_

What the…?

Suddenly, Monty was further down the yard. They were back to square one.

"Damn!" Nora cursed. "He knows Blink!"

"Blink?"

"A spell that enables a burst of rapid movement. Blink and you'll miss it, hence the name."

"Yeah, I got that."

Monty blinked again. He propelled himself towards Felicia in a trail of blue magical energy. He stopped right in front of her, and he slit Felicia's throat.

* * *

Attempt 30

Still feeling the pain in her neck, Felicia let out an anguished sigh.

"Felicia…"

She gave them the latest update on Monty's known abilities.

"Magic sucks," she complained. "When does it end?"

"Well, let's recap," Nora said. "He's got a pistol, a sword, grenades, healing syringes, Barrier, fire magic, that weird ghost arm thing, and Blink."

"And who knows what else!"

"Hey, he's not some kind of omnipotent force. I'm sure he's gotta be running out of tricks."

As if to rub it in, Monty blew open the front door with an overwhelming gust of wind. With inhuman speed, he blinked all around the house and cut down Flora, John, Eva, and Nate one-by-one. Felicia froze as the walls were painted with their blood. Hearing their screams never got any easier. He reached Felicia and Nora, and he sent them flying into the wall with the same spell he used on the door. Felicia felt pain in her shoulder, probably dislocated.

"Windblast…" Nora whimpered.

Monty stood over Nora, and he ran his sword through her neck, splattering her blood all over Felicia's body.

Felicia looked up into Monty's red eyes. "Why?!" she screamed. "What do you want? What are you getting out of this?!"

He folded his arms. "Didn't I tell you?"

"You said you weren't trying to kill me. What the hell is this, then?"

"Not permanently, I said."

"Do you not understand how death works? If I don't reset, that's it. I'd die forever."

He smiled. "That's where you're wrong."

"What…?"

Monty said down against the wall across from her. "I'll give you a choice. You can either reset now, and we'll get back to killing each other, or we can take a break, and I'll tell you a story."

Why was she even considering this? Why would she want to hear what that vile creature had to say? He was drenched in the blood of her friends; why hadn't she reset already?

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Fine."

"This story takes place two thousand and ninety years ago, during the Human-Monster War…"

* * *

Among the human army were two brothers, both with red SOULs. They fought the monsters side-by-side, until they didn't. It is true that not a single human SOUL was taken during the war. However, the records never said that not a single human life was lost. During one fateful battle, the two brothers were separated, and the elder brother was mortally injured.

Hearing his cries of agony, the younger brother rushed to his aid. He fought off the monsters attacking him, but it was too late. The older brother laid dying in his younger brother's arms.

The monsters, seeing the wounded human, regrouped and prepared to attack. The dying brother told the younger that he knew what he had to do. He had just one request: don't let the monsters take his SOUL.

So, he killed his own brother, and he destroyed his SOUL as it hovered over his corpse. Wracked with grief and hatred, the remaining brother destroyed every monster that attacked, turning them all to dust. He didn't let a single one escape. His fellow soldiers were awestruck by his might, and terrified.

As the war raged on, so did the younger brother. Over a hundred monsters fell by his hand alone. With every monster he killed, he grew stronger, at a rate far greater than LOVE could explain. Soon, he even began to develop magical powers, despite never having trained in magic before. The humans had never seen anything like it. By the time the war was over, they said he was fighting with the strength of almost seven mages.

As if that weren't enough to make the humans fear him as much as they feared monsters, he began to rant about his brother. He claimed that he wasn't dead, that he was still fighting alongside him. He said that his brother was watching over him, making him stronger. The other humans were convinced that he had gone insane.

After the war ended, it was decided that the brother was just as much of a threat as the monsters were. He had proven useful during the war, but once it was over, he was just another liability. Seven human mages, the same ones who sealed the monsters away, joined forces to quietly make him disappear.

One mage should have been no match for the seven best magicians on Earth, but the tales of the brother's power were no exaggeration. As he fought, black tar leaked out of his eyes and mouth. He grinned. He shouted that he and his brother would kill them all, and then they would reach the absolute, becoming more powerful than all seven of them combined.

After a long and difficult battle, the seven magicians emerged victorious, but the brother's words and power never stopped haunting them. Was he really insane, or had his brother truly returned? How did he become so powerful? They concluded that he wasn't human. They declared that he was nothing less than a demon. They said that if another such demon was ever encountered, it must immediately be destroyed, before it was too late.

I have other plans.

* * *

Felicia found his story hard to believe. "So, you think his brother actually came back from the dead?"

"His power was no illusion," Monty said.

"You're just as insane as he was."

"What of all the destroyed timelines?" Monty challenged. "Do you truly believe monsters are responsible for them?"

"I… I don't know what's destroying them."

"If not monsters, there's only one explanation: demons are real."

Felicia grimaced. "So, you want to become one of these demons?"

"Alright, I'm seeing some gears turning. We're making progress! Except for just one thing, I want  _you_ to become the Demon."

This guy never made any sense. "What?! Why?"

Monty laughed humorlessly. "Felicia, I don't know if you've picked up on this, but I really. Hate. People. You understand, don't you? Humans are an arrogant race full of idiots who believe they have the right to rule Earth simply because they're 'stronger,' because they 'won.' Any honest person will tell you that monsters valued kindness and pacifism, while humanity is always finding new ways to destroy itself. Yet we humans, by our twisted idea of logic, believe that  _we_ are the ones who deserve the surface, just because we're better at killing."

His hands balled up into fists. "If power is what rules this world, so be it. I will show the world true power, a being stronger than humans  _and_ monsters. You will become the Demon, and you'll be able to do whatever you want. Let the monsters go free, and if the humans object, they'll have to face your wrath. There is a chance you'll snap and destroy the timeline, but if that's what you choose, I honestly don't care at this point. The world will be in your hands. Felicia: God of the World! Now that has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

_He… he's even more insane than I thought! All that power, and not even for himself?_

"And at what cost will this power come?" she asked.

"Probably about a couple hundred people. A drop in the water, all things considered."

"Fuck you!"

"See? Now that's another thing. You just can't look at the big picture. You always let emotions cloud your judgment. This is a small price to pay compared to the countless monsters that humans have turned to dust."

"That was two thousand years ago!"

"Yes. Two thousand years, and they're still trapped underground, even after seven children disappeared. Do you think anything's changed? I wouldn't bet on that."

"Elizabeth would never allow this!" Felicia exclaimed.

"Haha, the deal is that once you're dead, I will keep your SOUL as payment. Of course, she has no idea of its true potential; serves her right for undervaluing the life of her own daughter."

This just kept getting worse. "She promised you my SOUL?!"

"Felicia… this is the only way to beat her. Once you're the demon, she'll suffer whatever fate you desire."

For just a moment, Felicia considered it. She couldn't believe how far Elizabeth had gone. Wanting her dead was bad enough, but giving away her very soul? To this murderer? She deserved a special place in hell for that.

But, Felicia immediately rid herself of those thoughts. Elizabeth wasn't worth killing hundreds of people over. She wasn't even worth dying over. Even if it didn't require killing anyone, that kind of power could never be allowed to exist. Felicia had to find her own way to win, without becoming as bad as her mother was.

Felicia brandished her knife. "I'll find my own way."

Monty stood up. "Back to killing then."

Felicia felt Monty's sword run through her gut.

"You know the definition of insanity, don't you?" He twisted his sword, making her whimper. "Well, I guess we're both guilty of it here, aren't we?"

Felicia reset.

* * *

Attempt 39

She didn't care how powerful he was. It didn't matter how good a shot he was, or how sharp his blade was. It didn't matter if he could burn them to ash with a twist of his arm, or that he could warp fifteen meters in the blink of an eye. Felicia and her friends were going to beat him. They were determined.

* * *

Attempt 48

Was there anyone else who could help?

* * *

Attempt 57

Felicia tried to think. What if she reset further back? If she reset before Kawasaki made his move, she wouldn't even have proof that someone was trying to murder her, and Monty could kill one of her friends earlier, when they're completely undefended. Even if she could get more help, it'd take too long. Someone would be dead by the time help arrived. Killing him here was their only chance.

* * *

Attempt 66

Besides, she didn't want more help. She shouldn't have needed it, not when she controlled time itself. It wasn't impossible. She could win. She  _had_  to win.

* * *

Attempt 75

Flora cried out as a burning spear lodged into her back.

"Flora!" Felicia ran to her. She was bleeding badly, but it wasn't fatal. Felicia grabbed her DT syringe and injected Flora with it, healing her wounds instantly.

"Thank you," Flora breathed, still in pain.

"Hang in there, Flora."

It was especially bad when Flora got hurt. This fight was essentially a duel between her and Monty, with everyone else desperately trying to tip the scales in her favor. If she was injured for too long, it was over.

Monty readied his sword and blinked forward to finish Flora off again. Not this time! Felicia raised her knife and repelled the strike. In response, Monty stepped back and hit Flora with another spear of flame.

"Damn you!" Felicia stabbed at him, but he blinked backwards far out of her reach. The others held him off while Felicia checked on Flora. More blood was seeping out of her back. Felicia injected her with more DT. "You're gonna be okay. We've got him this time!"

Monty blinked to the side and pointed his gun at Felicia. Flora acted quickly and deflected the shots. She breathed rapidly, exhausted.

"Flora, are you okay?"

Flora's body began to… drip. Oh no… she had taken too much DT. Monty blinked out of sight, leaving Flora to her fate.

Felicia held her, not ready to give up again. "Flora!"

"Felicia…" she groaned. "I'm sorry. I've failed again, h-haven't I?"

"N-no, don't give up! We can…"

Felicia felt a sticky substance spill on her. She let go, and she saw Flora's melted flesh all over her hands. "F-Flora…"

Flora's entire body melted into a tan puddle.

Felicia puked.

* * *

Attempt 84

How many was that now? How many times had everyone died?

* * *

Attempt 93

Wasn't he getting tired of this?

* * *

Attempt 102

"Nate!" Felicia tried to pull him out, but it was too late. Nate burned before her eyes.

* * *

Attempt 111

Monty tightened his grip on Nora's SOUL. She struggled with the desperate strength of the dying. "P-please, stop!" Her SOUL cracked. "I don't want to…"

Nora died.

* * *

Attempt 120

Damn it, Jacob!  _Do something!_

* * *

Attempt 129

"You know something funny?" Monty said. "I already killed your father."

Felicia felt what little hope she had left drain from her soul. "Father…"

A column of flame raced towards her. She let it come.

* * *

Attempt 138

"You're not human."

He pointed his gun down at her. "Yeah, that's right. I'm not human. I'm a monster."

* * *

Attempt 147

Why was she still fighting? What was the point?

* * *

Attempt 156

No, she couldn't give up. She had to protect Jacob, Nora, Nate…

* * *

Attempt 165

She had to…

* * *

Attempt 174

…save everyone.

* * *

Attempt 183

But weren't they dying for her sake?

* * *

Attempt...

Felicia limped towards the door. "C-come on… we can…"

"F-Felicia…"

She looked back, and a chill ran down her spine. Everyone's faces looked like death itself, which Felicia had become very familiar with. She had just reset. They should have been just the same as before, but they weren't.

They felt it too.

Horrified, Felicia looked at each one of them. "Is... is everyone alright?"

"I… I'm sorry," Nate apologized. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's not just you," Nora said. "Felicia, how many times has it been?"

The scientists checked their phones. "God…"

"That's… a lot of resets…"

Felicia felt a different kind of pain. It was bad enough that she was dying so much, but to see them suffer for her sake…

She may have been able to reset, but that didn't mean she was above consequences. Even she couldn't erase everything.

"H-hey, don't worry about it," Nate said, his body shivering. "We're f-fine."

What was she trying to prove? What did it matter? Her own mother had rejected her. Her father was dead. Her brother had given up, and no amount of determination was going to save her. Even if they killed Monty, what was the point? What then?

There was nothing left for her.

With tears in her red eyes, she stared at her friends. No amount of determination would save her, but there was still a way to save them. "I'm sorry," she said. "I never should have dragged any of you into this. I won't let you suffer over this pointless game. Not any longer."

Everyone stared back with wide eyes.

Nora grabbed her. "Felicia! What the fuck are you saying?!"

"Nora, thank you," she said. "You did the best you could to save me, and that's more than I deserve, especially from you."

Tears ran down Nate's face. "N-no," he sobbed. "Don't do this. I'm not giving up on you."

Felicia held his hands. "Nate, I really do wish we could have spent more time together."

"Felicia, do not say such things!" Flora yelled. "I… I forbid it!"

"Y-yeah!" Nate stuttered. "Listen to her!"

"Stop whining!" Nora said. "I don't care how many times it takes! You will keep fighting! You…"

Felicia hugged her. "That's not your decision."

"F-Felicia!"

She let go. She wasn't going to draw this out much longer. "Everyone… thank you… goodbye."

"Felicia, no! Don't do this, damn it! You hear me?! You can't –"

**FILE LOADED**

It ended as abruptly as it began. After everything that had happened, Felicia supposed it was a bit anti-climactic. No matter. She was tried. She just wanted to rest now.

She found her mother. Even she looked startled when she saw her. She must have looked so pathetic. Standing in front of her mother, Felicia fell to her knees.

"I give up."

Mother nodded, and she took her hand. "Come, Felicia."

"I'll make you some tea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just leave this here.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqv_LUStxDw


	29. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy anniversary, Undertale!

Trapped within a glass capsule, Felicia watched Mother and Monty.

"So, it's done," Monty said. "You remember our deal, don't you?"

Mother eyed Monty with hatred in her blue eyes. "I remember, and I know what you want with her."

"Ah, so your ignorance was a ruse." He laughed. "Elizabeth, you truly are a master of deception." He drew his sword. "I expected nothing less."

Mother quickly drew a pistol, and she pointed it at Felicia's SOUL. Monty froze. "You wouldn't…"

"Really?" Mother said. "After all that I've done, you think I wouldn't take this final step?"

"That's all you have left of her."

"And that's more than I deserve."

His patience spent, Monty raised his sword. "Another lie!" He brought it down.

Suddenly, someone else warped in and blocked Monty's strike. He had red eyes, and he bared a resemblance to Monty. He countered Monty's attack and sliced a deep cut across his arm. He grunted and clutched his wound. Felicia had never seen him bleed so much while she was alive.

The newcomer stared at him. "Brother..."

Monty grimaced in anger. "Eli. I should have known you'd get in my way."

"I told her everything," Eli said. "Thanks for taking care of Felicia, but you can't have her."

Monty gripped his sword. "We had a deal."

Eli pointed his own sword, and Elizabeth pressed her gun against Felicia's SOUL. Monty's sword arm was bleeding badly, and Eli knew it. "What are you going to do, Brother?"

Monty cursed silently, and he let out a long, bitter laugh. He sheathed his sword. "What a waste of time." He turned and walked away. "Next time you need to kill a World Master, you're on your own."

"We won't need to," Mother said. "Jacob will do the right thing."

"The right thing, huh?"

"Yes," Eli said. "He'll keep your precious monsters where they belong."

Monty sarcastically waved as he walked away. "See you in hell, Brother."

He was gone. Eli warped away, leaving Mother alone with Felicia. She looked through the glass, with sorrow in her eyes. "Have I done the right thing?" she wondered. "Was it worth it? I wasn't even sure if it would work. Is this really what I wanted? Well… I guess it's too late to take it back now."

_I'll never forgive you, but at least Jacob, Father, Nora, Nate, and everyone else will be okay._

With that final thought, Felicia fell asleep.

* * *

Frisk ran to the hospital as soon as he heard the news. After four weeks of unconsciousness, Chara was awake! Frisk had to see her, hold her, and tell her to never scare him like that again.

Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel met him there. They were as relived as he was that Chara was all right.

"What are we waiting for?" Asriel asked. "Do we have anything better to do? Let's go!"

They wasted no time making their way to Chara's room. There she was. She was still lying in the bed, but she was awake. Frisk ran to her and held her. "Chara, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Chara looked very confused. "U-umm…"

Asriel hopped beside her. "Gee, Chara. I know you like to sleep in, but this is on a whole new level."

Chara practically screamed when she saw him. "What the?! Are… are you a monster?"

Frisk's heart sank.  _Oh, God… does she have amnesia?_

Toriel held her shoulder. "My child?"

Chara gasped when she saw her too. "Wh-what's going on? Who are you?" She saw Asgore. "Where did you come from? Has the barrier been broken?"

_She remembers the barrier, but not us?_

"Chara, do you not remember?" Asgore asked.

"Huh? What…?"

She held out her hands and stared at them strangely, as if they were foreign to her. She felt through her hair and held it in front of her; she seemed startled when she saw the auburn strands.

Frisk frowned. "Chara, what's wrong?"

"I… I'm sorry," she said. "I'm not… Uh, I mean, I don't… I mean, I'm just tired, that's all."

Frisk slowly began to realize what was really going on, but he kept it to himself. He pretended nothing was wrong and smiled. "Heh, really? After a whole month of sleeping, you're tired?"

But for her, it had been much longer than a month…

"Oh, uh, yeah," 'Chara' said. "I'm just a big sleepyhead, aren't I?"

Toriel was barely stopping herself from crying. "Are you certain, my child? Do you remember me? You used to call me 'Mother.' Obviously, I am not your biological mother, however…"

"Hey, she'll be fine," Frisk said. "She's just out of it right now."

"I hope you are right," she said. "I apologize, Chara. I shall give you time to recover."

"Umm, yeah," 'Chara' said. "I'm sure that's it. I just need some time."

"Chara," Asgore said, "it pains me to see you like this, but I am glad that you have awakened."

"Oh!" Toriel grabbed something, Chara's heart locket. She held it out to her. "Chara, does this mean anything to you?"

'Chara' stared at it for a while. "I… I'm sorry. I…"

"Hey!" Frisk interrupted. "I said she'll be fine! She needs rest, not an interrogation!"

"R-right, I am sorry," Toriel said, suppressing a sob. "However… it saddens me to think that my child may have forgotten me."

"I know…"

'Chara' took the heart locket and held it in her hands. She opened it and read the inscription. "Best friends forever…" She looked at Frisk, much to Asriel's chagrin.

Frisk blushed. "Uh, no, it's not me." He pointed to a very peeved Asriel.

"Sorry…" 'Chara' apologized.

Asgore pat Asriel. "This is our son, Asriel," he said. "He, err, used to be a goat like us, but then… umm…"

"Now he is… not," Toriel finished for him.

'Chara' stared at him. "A golden flower? Were you the goat who the villagers attacked?"

_Oh no…_

Toriel and Asgore looked at each other. "You… remember that?" Asgore asked.

"Uh…"

"Oh, see?!" Frisk exclaimed. "She's getting her memory back already! There's nothing to worry about!"

"Frisk, you seem to be taking this rather well," Toriel said.

"I… I know Chara will be okay," Frisk replied. "She's strong. She'll be back to her old self in no time."

"Oh, of course. You are very optimistic, Frisk."

"Chara," Asgore said, "as you get your memories back, no matter how bad they seem, just remember that we love you, all right?"

Tears sparkled in 'Chara's' eyes. "Right..."

Frisk felt terrible for her. He could tell that she had been through hell, a hell that she had not survived. Yet, here she was. Perhaps that really did make them demons.

"So… are you ready to go?" Frisk asked her. "The doctors cleared you to leave, so you're free to go whenever you want."

"Uh, alright." 'Chara' got up out of the bed and stood up. She stumbled for just a moment, but it quickly passed. Just in case, Frisk held her hand. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend that everything was normal, but he knew that was a lie.

'Chara' stared at him. "I'm sorry, but… who are you?"

_God, I hope I'm right._

"Oh, that's just Frisk," Asriel said. "No one important. Don't worry about him."

"Asriel!"

He laughed.

"Frisk is  _very_ important to you," Toriel said. "The two of you have become, well, more than friends."

"Oh my god!" 'Chara' exclaimed. "Frisk, I am so sorry!"

"Don't worry about that yet," Frisk said. "For now, let's just go home."

'Chara' nodded. "Okay… Wait, we live together…?"

He had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

Once they got home, Frisk and Asriel took 'Chara' to her room. Finally, they could talk privately.

Frisk got right to the point. "You're not Chara, are you?"

Hesitantly, 'Chara' shook her head. "No, I'm not.'

"It's you, isn't it? You're Felicia."

Felicia looked very scared. "How do you know my name? How did I get here?"

"We, uh, found your SOUL," Frisk explained. "Chara needed it. She said there was no one inside, but… I guess she was wrong."

Felicia looked at her hands again. "So, this is Chara's body?"

Frisk grew anxious. Maybe it was selfish, but he had to see Chara again. He had to know she was okay. "Felicia, before we found your SOUL, Chara was inside my head for a while. We could communicate with our thoughts. Can you do that? Is Chara in there?"

Felicia had no idea what to do.

Frisk became desperate. He started to beg. "Felicia, please! I miss her so much!"

"Umm…"

Asriel shot out his vines, and he seized Felicia in a chokehold. "Give Chara back! Right now!"

Frisk was startled by his sudden aggression. "Whoa, Asriel! Don't hurt her!"

"She took Chara from us!" he shouted.

"Asriel, she's just as clueless as we are!"

Asriel grumbled something, and he let go of Felicia. She gasped for breath.

"Sorry, he's not himself," Frisk said. "Just like Chara, he lost his SOUL when he died."

"Yeah, play the soulless card," Asriel groused.

"It's okay," Felicia said. "I know I shouldn't be here. I should be dead."

Even though he barely knew her, Frisk felt his heart sink "Hey, don't say that. You didn't deserve what happened to you."

"Do you even know what happened to me?"

"Umm... the last thing Chara told us about was your brother's second murder, right after your mother grounded you for… what happened with Nora."

"So, you have no idea."

Frisk frowned. "I guess not."

"It was my mother," she said.

Frisk knew Felicia hadn't exactly had a good time, but that was even more twisted than he thought. Even he couldn't believe that a mother could be so cruel to her own child. "Oh, Felicia...I'm so sorry."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "When I found out, she sent Monty after me. I thought I could beat him. My friends and I died so many times trying to kill him."

She sat down on the floor and sobbed. "But I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. I was too weak to overpower him. I was too stupid to outmaneuver him. None of my pathetic strategies worked. I watched my friends die over and over, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"So, I gave up. I gave in to my pain. I told myself I was sacrificing my life to save everyone else, but the truth is, I was dead as soon as Mother pulled out that knife. I didn't want to win. I  _wanted_ to die. I'm no hero." She slammed her fist on the floor. "I'm  _nothing_!"

"Felicia…" Frisk held her in his arms. "You did the best you could."

"Th-that's not true," she sobbed. "If I had just tried harder, I wouldn't have died."

"You only wanted to save your friends."

For a while, Felicia stayed still in Frisk's embrace, staring blankly. Her breaths slowly grew larger, and then she erupted with inconsolable cries. She buried her face in Frisk's shoulder, wailing, sobbing, squeezing him as tight as she could. The sound was painful to hear, but he had to bear it. Felicia needed to do this. Frisk gently pat her back as she cried herself dry.

After… quite some time, Felicia's cries gradually calmed down. She let go of Frisk and wiped her eyes clean. "I'm sorry. You don't even know me, and here I am pouring my eyes out over you."

"You needed it," Frisk said.

Felicia laughed. "Oh, what would Nora say if she saw me like this?" She realized something. "Where are they?" she asked. "Where's Jacob? Where's Nate? Where's Nora? Where's my father?"

Every single one of those answers was going to be awkward. How was he going to explain all of it? He needed to break it gently…

"Let's see," Asriel began. "Your dear brother went on to become President of the Human Government, and he was behind a conspiracy to have a certain monster kill everyone on Earth just to prove a point. Nate joined the Military Police, and so did Nora, who helped Jacob with that conspiracy I mentioned. As for your father, he's currently serving some time in prison for vehicular manslaughter. I'm sure you're familiar with his drinking problem."

_God damn it, Flowey._

"WHAT?!" Felicia screamed. "Wh-what do mean Jacob wanted to 'kill everyone?'"

"Not  _actually_ kill everyone," Frisk explained. "Only, uh, temporarily. He's trying to convince everyone that the monsters need to be sent back underground."

"That's horrible! How could he do that?!"

"I don't know…"

"But, wait," Felicia said, "when did the monsters go free?"

"Oh, well, you have Asriel to thank for that," Frisk said.

"Oh, shut up," Asriel said. "You have  _Frisk_ to thank for that."

Felicia looked at him. "You saved them?"

"Umm… you could say that," Frisk said.

Felicia kneeled before him, as if swearing fealty to him. "Frisk… you just became my new hero."

He blushed. "Oh, it was nothing…"

"Seriously," she said. "You have accomplished what I never could. You've freed an entire race from millennia of imprisonment. Thank you so much."

Frisk was reminded of the time Asriel broke the barrier, and how happy it had made Chara.

"If there's anything I can do for you, just ask," Felicia said.

He knew exactly what he wanted. "I want to see Chara."

"Oh, of course! You said you could hear each other's thoughts? How does that work exactly?"

"I'm not really sure how to explain it," Frisk said. "You just kind of… think harder. Just imagine you want to talk to someone in your head, and you will."

"Umm, okay," Felicia said. "What should I say?"

"Call her name."

She nodded. "Alright."

Felicia closed her eyes and concentrated. Frisk moved close to her. "Chara?" he whispered. "Are you there?"

No response.

"Chara, please. Wake up. Chara!"

She opened her eyes, and she looked into his. "Frisk, it's me."

Relief and joy swelled within Frisk's SOUL. "Oh, Chara!" He embraced her. "Are you okay?"

Her expression was solemn. "Frisk, do you remember what I said would happen if Felicia ever woke up?"

The happiness in Frisk's eyes drained, replaced by fear. "Chara… no! You don't have to die for her!"

She let go of him. "Felicia had been through so much," she said. "I took my own life, but Felicia suffered a cruel and unfair death. She deserves another chance."

"And you do too!" Frisk exclaimed.

"I stole her SOUL!" Chara yelled. "It belongs to  _her_! I have no right to keep it!"

"But…"

"I don't care about her!" Asriel shouted. "I want  _you_ to live, Chara!"

Chara glared at him. "Of course  _you_  don't care about her, Flowey."

"Do you think Asriel would choose her over you?! Even if I had my SOUL, I… I would…" He frowned. "I would feel bad for both of you."

What wasthe right thing to do? Felicia deserved to live as much as Chara did. Frisk would have felt so selfish choosing Chara's life over Felicia's, but Frisk could  _never_  bring himself to sacrifice Chara for her. It was a cruel dilemma.

Did he really have to choose? What if there a way to save both of them?

Chara closed and opened her eyes. "Uh, hey. It's me, Felicia. It sounds like Chara has many people who love her, but me? I've been dead for thirty years. Don't worry about me. Let Chara live."

That wasn't helping…

"Felicia…" Frisk said, "this doesn't have to be the end for you. We can't give you your old life back, but maybe we can give you a new one. I'm sure Toriel will be glad to take care of you."

"Oh, sure," Asriel said. "Let's take in  _another_  orphaned human. Why not?"

Felicia laughed. "You are kind, maybe too kind."

"Why don't we just take our time for now?" Frisk suggested. "Until we figure out how to handle this, maybe the two of you can just… share for a while?"

They considered it for a while.

"Umm… I guess we could try that," Felicia said.

They blinked.

"That… seems like an adequate compromise," Chara said. "At least for the time being."

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

They blinked again. "I want to make things right," Felicia said. "Jacob isn't himself. Elizabeth must have corrupted him. I need to help him."

Asriel was unconvinced. "Jacob is perfectly himself."

Felicia scowled at him. "I know my brother!"

"You say Elizabeth corrupted him?  _You_  weren't 'corrupted' by her. Face it, Jacob was always the way he was."

Felicia clenched her fists. "Don't talk about my brother like that."

"He's a murderer and a psychopath. I bet he didn't even  _try_ to save you!"

Her fists shook, ready to strike. "You damn flower…"

Frisk quickly stepped between them. "Hey, calm down! Both of you!"

"There he goes again," Asriel said. "Always breaking up fights."

"…Where is Elizabeth?" Felicia asked.

"Felicia…"

"Still in the same old home as before," Asriel said. "You should pay her a visit. I'm sure she would  _love_  to see you again."

"Asriel, stop it!" Frisk shouted.

"Maybe I will!" Felicia exclaimed. "And what about Monty? He won last time, but now we have surprise on our side!"

This was bad. Frisk had to defuse the situation before it escalated out of control. Fortunately, there was some news that might placate Felicia.

"Monty's dead," Frisk said.

Felicia was shocked. "Really?"

She blinked. "Actually, I believe I was mistaken," Chara said. "I don't think Monty was Melty."

Frisk scratched his head. "What?"

"I think Melty was his brother, Eli."

"But, you said…"

"Yeah, well, it was kind of hard to tell when his flesh was  _melting off his face_!"

"Okay, but how do you know it's this other guy?" Frisk asked.

"Monty actually wanted to free the monsters," Chara explained. "Melty was leading a terrorist organization that wanted to send monsters back underground. They had entirely different ideologies."

"Wait, he wanted to free the monsters?" Frisk asked. "Then why did he kill Felicia?"

Chara blinked. "He wanted me to become the Demon," Felicia said. "I guess he thinks it's the only way to keep humans and monsters from fighting. He clearly didn't believe humans would allow monsters to live peacefully on the surface. He hated them."

"So, what you're saying," Asriel said, "is that Monty wasn't really the greatest person. He hated humanity. Why he did, he talked a lot about it, and he felt very strongly about that."

Felicia blinked, and Chara frowned. "Yeah, I once thought the same way."

Felicia switched back in. "So, he's still alive. Where is he?"

"We have no idea," Frisk said.

A murderous glare flashed within Felicia's red eyes. "That's a shame."

Frisk felt a chill run through his body. Felicia could be terrifying when she wanted to be, especially now that she had Chara's magic on her side.

"Felicia," Frisk whispered, "please, just take it easy for now. Don't do anything reckless."

She collected herself with a deep breath. "You're right. I need to get my bearings first. Look, I'll just let Chara be in control for a while. Let me get to know you guys."

That seemed fair enough. "Okay, but you  _will_ introduce yourself, won't you?"

"I don't know. Would Toriel even want me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Asriel said. "Toriel  _loves_  kids. Just a few minutes after you meet her, she'll start calling you 'my child.' It's kind of creepy when you think about it."

"Uh, I see…" Felicia said. "I'll think about it, alright?"

"Seriously," Asriel said. "She called Frisk 'her child' before she even introduced herself. I'm surprised she didn't offer him candy."

Frisk ignored him. "Alright. Take your time, Felicia, but don't be afraid. We want to help you."

"Thank you," she whispered.

With a blink of their eyes, Chara was back in control.

Frisk was glad to have her back. "Chara, how are you feeling?"

She held her head. "Like I died two hundred times in a row."

"God, it was that many?"

Chara nodded. "It was not fun, and then there was her slow, final death. It had to look like a natural illness. That's why I was out for so long."

Yeah, that didn't sound fun at all, to put it lightly.

Chara stared at him, with longing in her eyes. Suddenly, she lunged at him, and they embraced each other, desperate for each other's warmth.

"I was so worried about you," Frisk whispered.

"I know," she whispered back.

"And I'm still worried."

"…I made a promise to save Felicia," Chara said, "but I don't want to die, either. I want to stay with you. There's so much we haven't done together."

Frisk found that very interesting. He smiled. "Oh? Like what?"

Chara blushed deeply. "Oh, you know… stupid couple things..."

"Like what?"

Her embarrassment was adorable. "Please don't make me say it."

Frisk didn't relent. "But I really want to hear it."

Chara gulped. "Like, keep dating…"

"Is that all?"

Her face grew even redder. "You know… the usual stuff. Get married, make love, maybe even start a family…"

Hey playfully gasped. "Chara! How could you bring that up so soon?"

She screamed and covered her face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Frisk laughed and pat her on the back. "I'm kidding! I hope we make it there, too."

Chara smiled, and she caressed his cheek. "Yeah..."

Frisk leaned in closer, and their lips met for the first time in a month. He welcomed that familiar warmth as Chara kissed him, their arms wrapped tightly around each other and chests pressed together. No matter what the future held, Frisk was glad they could share these moments together. They kissed for a while longer before pulling away, comforted by each other's love.

Asriel made a gagging sound. "Hey, you know Felicia's still in there, right?"

"Oh, yeah…" Chara said. "That could get… awkward…"

Felicia took over. "I know how you feel," she said. "I used to have a bit of a crush on Nate. You know, before I died."

Frisk felt a bit guilty. Felicia had lost everything, and all he could think about was Chara. "I'm sorry…"

"I told you not to worry about me," Felicia said. "I don't want to get in your way."

"You're not in our way," Frisk assured her. "If it weren't for you, Chara would still be trapped in my head. No one but me would even know she still exists."

"Well, I'm glad something good came out of my death."

"Felicia, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay."

"But…"

They heard a knock on the door, and Toriel entered. "Dinner shall be ready soon."

Felicia frantically switched places with Chara. "Oh, alright," Chara replied.

Toriel frowned. "And, I do not intend to intrude, but… I heard crying. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Don't worry about it," Chara said.

"Chara, have you remembered anything?"

She nodded. "Yes, I remember everything now."

"Truly?" Toriel asked. "Everything? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Oh… is that why you were crying?"

"Yeah, but I'm better now."

Toriel kept pressing. "Chara, do you have any idea why you were asleep for so long?"

"Umm… no."

"You said you were experiencing nightmares, did you not? Did it have something to do with that?"

Oh, right… Chara had told Toriel a little about Felicia.

Chara started to sweat. "Uh… "

"Chara…?"

Chara's expression changed, as if she had heard something. "Are you sure?" she whispered.

Toriel was at a loss. "What?"

"Mother," Chara said, "remember how I used to be in Frisk's head? Well…"

Chara closed her eyes, and Felicia opened them. "H-hello," she said. "I am Felicia."

Toriel's eyes widened. "You? You are the SOUL that Chara is using?"

Felicia nodded.

Worry spread across Toriel's face. "What does this mean for Chara?"

"I don't want anything to happen to her," Felicia said.

"Oh… that… that is good."

"Felicia has been though… a lot," Frisk said.

They gave Toriel a quick summary of everything that had happened. Before they could finish, Toriel wrapped her arms around Felicia. "Oh, my poor child! I cannot believe your mother could do such a thing! I shall do anything I can to make it better, all right?"

"Th-that's very kind of you," Felicia breathed.

Frisk smiled. "Welcome to your new home, Felicia."


	30. Justice

" **You didn't kill anybody this time. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer?"**

**-Flowey**

* * *

Nate walked into Jacob's office and sat down. He was sitting behind his desk, and Nora was standing beside him. Nate had no idea what this was about.

"Agent Miller," Jacob said, "I trust you have been keeping Frisk safe?"

As if that were his job. "Of course, Mr. President."

"I assume you've heard that Chara has awakened from her coma, yes?"

"Yes, I know." Where was he going with this?

"That coma was a very curious case," Jacob said. "The doctors found no sign of physical trauma. It was as if her own SOUL had willed its body to stay asleep. They had never seen anything like it."

"Uh, yeah…"

Jacob looked right through him. "Nate, do you have any idea what could have caused this?"

Yes. "No, I have no idea."

Jacob's gaze cut even deeper. Ever since Boaris's rampage, an unspoken tension had grown between them. Although they continued to put on a friendly façade, they both knew the truth. They were no longer on the same side.

"You have been doing your job, haven't you?" Jacob asked. "You're supposed to keep an eye on Frisk, and anyone close to him."

"If I had any clue what was going on with that demon, I'd tell you."

"You were never a good liar, Nate."

He felt a slight chill, but he held his ground.

"Frisk never should have taken that SOUL," Jacob said. "He should have turned it over to us, but instead, he unlawfully appropriated it for himself. If he were anyone else, I would have arrested him already."

He was one to talk about stealing SOULs. "Why? Could we have found a better use for it?"

"Why, yes. I think we could have found a  _much_ better use for it than satisfying Frisk's demon fetish."

"Like what?! Another soul to feed Boaris?!"

…  _I said that out loud…_

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "That… is quite an accusation, Agent Miller."

"Oh, shut up!" Nate yelled. "I know what you did!"

He folded his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Nate jumped out of his seat and slammed his fist on Jacob's desk. "What's gotten into you?! The Jacob I knew would never do the things you've done. What would Felicia think if she saw you now?"

"What would she think if she saw what Boaris had done?"

"Don't cover up your own crimes with his! You helped him!"

"Did Frisk tell you that? That kid is dangerously skilled at brainwashing people."

For just a moment, Nate wondered if Jacob was telling the truth. What if Frisk was lying? He could say anything had happened before a reset. How hard could it be…?

No, Nate  _knew_ what Jacob did. He felt it, somewhere deep in his soul. He had seen it all himself; he had just forgotten.

"Now," Jacob said, "if you're done with your baseless accusations, let's get back to business. Nate, you will continue to monitor Frisk as usual, but be advised that I'm assigning Nora to investigate the origin of Chara's SOUL. We need to understand exactly what she is, and what she's capable of. Furthermore, it's possible that someone is still in that SOUL. If so, they must be saved from that demon."

He really had no idea, did he? He had no idea it was Felicia's SOUL. Either that, or Jacob was hiding something.

"You think Chara is possessing someone?" Nate asked.

"It's certainly possible," Jacob answered. "The six humans who Asgore murdered were all still conscious as SOULs. I don't see any reason for this mysterious red SOUL to be any different."

Was he right? Could Felicia be saved? Even if she came back, things would never be the same between them. A lot had happened in the thirty years since she died. He hadn't exactly been holding his breath for his old crush to return from the dead. His wife probably wouldn't have appreciated that. Still, he would have given anything to see her again, even just one more time.

Jacob reclined into his chair. "Alright, you have your orders. Get to it. I have a very important announcement to prepare for."

Nora stood at attention and pressed her right fist against her heart, the Military Police salute. "As you command, President Malcom."

When did they all get so formal and serious? Whatever happened to the time they were just kids, playing together?

Nora left the office, and Nate followed her. What did she think of all this? Nate grabbed her sleeve, and she swiped his hand away. "Don't touch me, traitor!"

"Nora…"

"You're lucky you haven't been discharged for that little outburst."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"Jacob is keeping us all safe."

"What the hell, Nora?!"

She turned her back on him. "Just do your job, and stay out of my way."

"Nora!" Nate tried to follow her… and he ran face first into a wall of light. He grunted and stumbled back from the impact. Next thing he knew, Nora was gone, and Nate felt an emptiness in his heart.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

* * *

After a considerably long absence, Chara arrived at class. Everyone's heads turned when she entered.

"Ah, Chara, glad to see you've recovered," Mr. Hemlock said. "Please, have a seat." He glanced at the class. "I trust all of you will respect your returning classmate?"

"Great, the demon's back," someone muttered.

"Why can't she just stay dead?"

_Uh… they don't seem very happy to see you,_ Felicia noticed.

Felicia was not yet aware of Chara's past. All she knew was that Chara had been adopted by the Dreemurrs, died, and was eventually awakened by Frisk. Chara was still working up the courage to give her the details. She knew it wasn't fair. She knew all of Felicia's dark secrets, but they were nothing compared to her sins.

_Yeah, they don't like me,_ Chara replied.

_Why not? Because you're a demon?_

_Sort of, but not exactly. Let's just say I've done some things that I'm not proud of._

_Umm…_

Chara sat down, and Elodie sat down next to her. She smiled. "Hey, Chara!"

"Uh, greetings."

"How are you doing?" Elodie asked. "Are you still recovering from your coma?"

Chara felt a little unnerved. Last time Elodie acted this friendly to her was when she poisoned her. Was she planning something?

"I'm better now," Chara answered.

"That's good," Elodie said. "Thank God that DT is a thing. Without that, you might have had to spend some time rehabilitating your body from inactivity."

"Umm, I guess so."

"I know you're way behind on class, but don't worry! I'll help you catch up!"

Seriously, what was going on? "Elodie, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

"… Chara, what is justice to you?"

Justice? That was a complicated question for her. "Well, my take on that has changed dramatically since my reincarnation. I suppose I used to see justice as the absence of evil, that anything bad must be destroyed without mercy. Essentially, I believed in an extreme version of 'eye-for-an-eye.' However, Frisk taught me that not everyone should be written off as a 'bad person' so easily. There's a difference between protecting your friends and destroying someone for your own justice. It's not about revenge. It's about investigating the truth, and asking yourself how you can help people."

Elodie smiled. "Not about revenge, huh? Getting a little passive-aggressive, are we?"

Chara laughed. "That wasn't my intention, but I suppose it does seem a bit convenient."

"No, you're right. What I did to you was wrong. I thought it was justice, but I wasn't helping anyone. I only brought pain to the people who care about you. I'm… I'm sorry."

"Elodie…"

_What exactly did she do to you?_ Felicia asked.

"Don't worry about it," Chara said. "I understand how you felt."

Something resonated within Elodie's green eyes, a kindness much more genuine than the mask she wore when they first met. Maybe Chara was imagining things, but she wanted to believe this was something a murderer could not fake. Elodie truly wanted to be her friend this time.

Elodie laughed. "You really have changed. Still, I hope you're not being nice just because Frisk said so."

"Frisk has greatly influenced me," Chara admitted, "but he doesn't control me. I'm still my own person."

"Good to hear... Chara, I know I hurt you, but maybe we can start over?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"We're not starting over," Chara said. "We're moving forward."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Cute, but you know what I mean."

Chara smiled. "Yes, I already told you. Let's be friends."

"It's settled then." She opened her textbook. "Well, enough of this sappy stuff. You have history to catch up on."

"Heh, yeah…"

Throughout the class, Elodie helped Chara catch up on what she missed. Human history was always an unpleasant subject for her. Humans were always doing stupid things. Right now, they were covering the medieval era, where the privileged lords ruled over their helpless serfs, and by 'serfs' they meant slaves. Monsters were never like that. When Chara fell underground, they could have killed her and taken her SOUL, but they didn't. They were so kind to her, even though she was part of the race responsible for their suffering. If the roles were reversed, if a monster fell into a human underground, that monster wouldn't stand a chance.

Chara was getting sidetracked again. She had to focus. She was never going to understand humanity if she couldn't study their history without feeling sick.

Just when Chara thought it would never happen, the bell rang, and class was dismissed. "Hey, see you at lunch?" Elodie offered. "No poison this time, I promise!"

_Wait, what?! She poisoned you?!_

Chara smiled. "Alright."

"Great! Meet me out by the picnic tables. I'll see you there!"

"See you there."

They packed up their things, and they left for their next classes.

_Chara, you have to tell me what happened,_ Felicia said.  _Did she seriously poison you?_

_Yes, she did. She knew my weakness: chocolate. It only took about a minute to kill me._

_Oh, so Frisk reset to save you. But, why did Elodie hate you so much? What did you do that made her want to kill you?_

_Felicia… do you really want to know?_

_Is it really that bad?_

_Yeah, it's pretty bad._

Felicia fell silent, and Chara kept walking through the crowded halls. Navigating through dense crowds of humans always made her nervous. When she finally reached her next class and sat down, Felicia spoke up again.  _Well… it's clear that whatever you did, you're a different person now. And that thing you said about justice? It's a nice thought, but I can't say I completely agree with it._

_What do you mean?_

_Sometimes, people need to die_.

_Oh, uh, yeah. I wasn't saying that violence is_ never  _an option._   _I was just saying that you should think about it, you know? Yes, some people need to die, but sometimes it's better to forgive._

_Some things are beyond forgiveness. Elizabeth and Monty deserve to die for what they've done._

Chara certainly wasn't going to argue with that. The release of death would be a mercy for those relentless killers. Although… Monty's philosophy was disturbingly similar to how Chara used to think. They both wanted the same thing. The only difference was that she persuaded Asriel to absorb her power, while Monty tortured Felicia until she surrendered. Was that enough to justify forgiving her? Where was the line drawn? What would Felicia think of her when she found out?

_Chara… you'll help me, won't you? They can't just get away with this. It's not right._

She wanted to help her, but…

_How could we kill them?_ Chara asked.  _Even if we found a way past Elizabeth's security, we would be arrested for murder, and we don't even know where Monty is._

_We'll figure it out. Don't we have demon powers or something?_

_I do know magic, but power will only take us so far. We must be intelligent as well._

Felicia sounded irritated.  _You said you used to believe that bad people deserve death. Are you sure you didn't change your mind just because Frisk said so? Don't tell me he would spare Elizabeth or Monty._

_I… I really don't know._

Felicia groaned.  _I'm stuck with a pacifist and a fellow demon with a guilty conscience._

_Pretty much._

_Great…_

_Felicia, I do want to help you, but I have my own life to think about. Yours too. If I die, you'll die with me. Is killing Elizabeth worth dying over?_

…  _you're right. We have to be smart about this. I don't want to get you killed._

Chara sighed in relief.  _Thank you._

_I need to talk to my brother_.  _He needs to know what Elizabeth did. Once he's on our side, killing Elizabeth will be easy, and I'm sure he can help us find Monty as well._

_That sounds like a decent plan, assuming Jacob isn't already aware of Elizabeth's actions._

_Oh, don't you start that with me too. Jacob had nothing to do with my murder._

_Even if that's true, do you really think he'd be willing to betray his mother?_

Felicia paused.  _No, he wouldn't. Jacob was immediately broken when he learned the truth. I don't know if he would even believe I'm awake if I told him._

_Exactly. If you're going to reveal yourself, we must plan it carefully. Regardless of how much Elizabeth influenced him, Jacob feels very strongly about sending monsters back underground. I highly doubt seeing you again will be enough to change his mind._

Felicia let out a frustrated sigh.  _I never should have given up. I thought I was saving him, but look at what he's become. I let this happen._

Chara and Felicia had a lot in common. They both wanted to save the monsters, and they both became demons because of it. This was a very different experience from living inside Frisk's head. Frisk had almost never attacked anyone, while Felicia was urging Chara to help her kill the people responsible for her death. It almost felt like some kind of test.

But, Chara agreed with Felicia. Those two deserved to die. It wasn't like the underground. None of the monsters who attacked Frisk were truly evil. They all just wanted to be free. They weren't content with being buried and forgotten by humanity. Even Flowey was only the way he was because of his death, and the loss of his SOUL. They all deserved mercy, but Elizabeth and Monty? They didn't. They had gotten away with their crimes for thirty years. It was time they faced the consequences of their actions.

_Felicia, don't blame yourself for what others have done. Jacob's actions are not your fault, and I'll do anything I can to help you make it right._

She sounded happy.  _Thank you, Chara. I think we're going to be great friends. We're partners now._

_Heh, partners?_

_Yeah, we demons gotta stick together._

_Haha, I guess so._

_By the way, class started._

Chara snapped back to reality. Class had started and she hadn't even noticed! She frantically summoned her notebook and acted like she was paying attention. They were solving a quadratic equation. What was the answer? Nine. Definitely nine.

Lunch couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

After being thoroughly grilled by the teacher – She was in a coma; did she have no respect?! – lunch finally arrived. Like everyone else, Chara quickly left the classroom, and she headed outside to meet Elodie.

As she walked to the cafeteria, she suddenly heard a loud thud on the ground next to her. Someone had tripped and fallen into the dirt, making quite a mess of his clothes. Poor guy. Chara reached out her hand and…

Oh, it was Jeff, that bigot she met at the MTT Resort.

Jeff refused her hand and sneered at her. He got back up on his own and unsuccessfully tried to wipe the dirt off him. "Stay away from me, demon."

Chara said nothing, and she let that  _sparking gem_ of humanity on his way.

_That's what you have to deal with every day?_ Felicia asked.

_Yeah._

_The way he called you 'demon,' it's just like how some humans say 'monster.' I guess demons and monsters can really relate to each other._

…  _yeah…_

Chara kept walking to the cafeteria, and she found Elodie standing outside by the picnic tables, just like she said. Elodie smiled and waved, and they sat down together.

"How did your second class go?" Elodie asked.

"It was okay," Chara said. "Mrs. Yu was riding my ass, though."

"Oh, yeah. I can see that. Anyway, do you need to get food, or…?"

Chara smiled and summoned a sandwich from her dimensional box. "My mother has me covered."

"Oh, that's nice…" She sounded downtrodden.

Chara immediately realized her mistake. How could she be so insensitive? "Oh, sorry! I didn't even think of that!"

She laughed it off. "It's all right."

_What are you talking about?_  Felicia asked. _Did something happen to her mother?_

_Yeah, she was killed by…_

Oh, God…

_Killed by who?_

_It doesn't matter._

_Chara, who killed her?_

_Uh… it was an accident…_

_Who killed her?!_

_Just some bad driver._

Chara prayed Felicia wouldn't make the connection.

…  _wait, don't tell me it was my father._

_Well…_

Felicia fell back to silence.

_Uh, Felicia? Are you okay? Felicia?_

No answer.

"Hey, I said it was fine," Elodie said. "Don't worry about it."

"R-right," Chara responded. She was worried about Felicia, but she had to act natural. She couldn't risk giving away Felicia's presence.

Elodie summoned her own lunch, a burger from Grillby's. "Well, this is what my foster dad got me. Monster food is amazing. I especially love how it never spoils."

Foster dad? Something happened to her father as well? Poor Elodie.

Chara didn't press on that. She smiled and talked about the food instead. "Yes, it is amazing, but you need to eat human food as well. While monster food is adequate for a monster's dominantly magical body, it lacks the protein and fat a human body needs to properly maintain itself. Its magic will provide some nourishment, but forgetting to consume physical food could cause a severe loss of body mass."

"Aww, so you're saying I don't need to diet?"

"Haha, I guess it would be useful for that purpose."

"Oh, yeah. It's already huge in that market... Wait, how did you not starve to death in the Underground?"

"My parents made sure to make me some physical food, with what little material they had. It tasted horrible, but it kept me from turning into a human skeleton."

"Yeah, you'd blend right in." She took a bite of her burger, and the magical food dissolved in her throat as she swallowed. 'Anyway, I gotta ask, what was the deal with that coma?"

"I have no idea," Chara lied.

"Hmm… somehow I get the feeling that's not true, but you can't tell me."

Chara didn't answer.

"Well, alright," Elodie said. "Let's talk about something else."

Chara suddenly felt like Alphys. She had never been much for small talk. "Uh… do you like anime?"

"Yeah, I've watched some," Elodie answered. "Probably nothing from your time, though."

"Gee, thanks."

Elodie winked. "Hey, you're looking good for someone over a hundred years old."

"Haha, thank you."

"By the way, where's Frisk? He usually sits with you, right?"

"Yeah, he should be here shortly."

And so he was. Chara looked back and saw Frisk and Flowey walking to their table. Flowey hopped on top, and Frisk sat down. "Hi, Elodie," Frisk greeted. "Getting along with Chara?"

"I think so," Elodie said.

"I knew you'd make good friends!"

Flowey wasn't so cheerful. He stared at Elodie with distrust in his eyes. "What are you planning this time, you pink-haired murderer?"

"Nothing," Elodie said. "Honest."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, it's the truth!"

"It's alright, Asriel," Chara said. "I believe her."

"And if you're wrong?" Flowey challenged.

"Then Frisk will just reset again."

Flowey wasn't satisfied. He pointed a threatening, sharp thorn at Elodie. "I'm watching you."

Elodie wasn't afraid. "You do that."

"… so, what were you talking about?" Frisk asked.

"Just things we like," Elodie answered. She suddenly looked excited. "Oh, Chara! Actually, I think I did watch something you might know. Have you ever seen Death Note?"

"OH MY GOD I LOVE DEATH NOTE!"

"I know, right?! It's so good!"

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Flowey said. "Chara said the main character almost gave her faith in humanity. She wished she had a death note so she could cleanse the world of criminals just like Kira."

Elodie laughed. "Of course she did. Was Light Yagami your role model, Chara?"

She felt a little embarrassed. "Yes, I used to love him, but… I'm not so sure anymore. I already explained how my view of justice has changed. I guess you could say I see him in a different…  _light_ now." She winked.

"Haha, I see," Elodie said. She looked at Frisk. "What about you? Have you seen it?"

"Yeah," Frisk answered. "I'm sure you can guess that I'm not a Kira supporter, but it's a great show."

"Yep, you don't believe in killing anyone, do you?"

"No one should have the kind of power that Light had. He literally wanted to become God of his ideal world; he had to be stopped."

Elodie smiled at him. "That's a funny thing to hear from the World Master."

"Hey, I didn't choose to have that power."

"Maybe not, but you have  _used_  it by choice."

He frowned. "Well… I…"

"That's different," Chara said. "Frisk never let his power corrupt him. He has no desire to control anyone. Quite the opposite, actually. He just wants everyone to be free."

"I didn't mean anything bad by it," Elodie assured them. "I'm just saying that power isn't always a bad thing."

"Are you on Team Kira?" Frisk asked.

"Kind of," Elodie answered. "I mean, he did go too far. Tt's not right to judge everyone as either 'good' or 'evil,' with nothing in between. Still, I definitely believe that some people should just die."

Hmm… perhaps Chara could accept that compromise. How  _would_  she feel about Light now? She needed to rewatch that anime sometime. Oh, idea!

"Hey, Frisk, would you like to –"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of a scream nearby. "Stay back, you monster!"

Chara and the others immediately got up and ran to the source of the commotion. A crowd of students had gathered around the scene: Jeff and Woshua were locked in some kind of stand-off. Jeff was in an enraged frenzy, shaking his fist at the germophobic monster. "This  _monster_ tried to steal my soul!" he screamed.

Chara saw that Jeff was still covered in dirt from his fall. It was obvious what was really going on. "Don't be stupid!" she yelled. "He just wants to clean you!"

"You're filthy," Woshua said.

"Like hell!" Jeff shouted. "He wants to take my soul and cleanse the whole world!"

Agh! Humans were so  _stupid_!

Frisk put his hands up. "Hey, both of you just stay calm."

Woshua's arm spun around anxiously. He couldn't stand the sight of Jeff's filthiness. "Dirty… must clean…"

"This isn't going to end well," Flowey warned.

Woshua couldn't contain himself any longer. He sprayed out a barrage of his cleansing magic. Green water droplets rained down all around Jeff, which he frantically avoided. He clearly didn't understand that green magic was harmless.

"That's it!" He raised his fists, and he struck Woshua with a loud, bone-crushing smack. Woshua let out a high-pitched screech, and Chara sensed his HP decrease by forty percent.

"Stop!" Frisk exclaimed. "He's not trying to hurt you!"

"Green means clean," Woshua said.

"Bullshit!" Jeff hit him again, draining his HP down to twenty percent. One more hit, and Woshua would be a pile of dust. They couldn't let that happen. Frisk ran between them, and Jeff's fist connected with his face, sending him reeling and covering his nose. He hurt Frisk.

Big mistake.

Jeff wound up his fist for another blow, and Chara sent an energy knife flying through this chest. He whimpered and clutched his wound. The magic knife had left a crispy red burn where it pierced him. He glared at Chara with a look of pure murder in his eyes, and he charged at her. She summoned another knife in her hand and prepared to fight.

But before Jeff could reach her, something swung across his head and knocked him to the ground. Elodie stood over him, brandishing a magical scepter. It glowed brilliantly in her hands as she pointed it down at Jeff. "Leave my friend alone."

Jeff grit his teeth. "The fuck, Elodie? Didn't you try to kill Chara?"

"Things change," she retorted. "Now, get out of here and clean yourself up."

Jeff got back up. "I don't know which is worse, the demon or the monsters, but at this rate, one of them is going to be the death of us."

Chara pointed her knife at him. "Leave."

With a grimace, Jeff walked away. Chara was tempted to strike him with a torrent of knives for daring to harm Frisk, but she had other things to worry about.

"Good riddance," Flowey growled.

Elodie looked around the crowd. "What are you looking at? Show's over."

The crowd dispersed, murmuring over what they had seen. As they left, Chara checked on Woshua, who was revolted by his own wounds. She cast a healing spell for him. "There, there. It'll be okay."

"I don't want to clean him anymore," Woshua said.

"Yeah, he's better that way."

Once Woshua was healed, Chara focused her attention on Frisk. His noise was bleeding. Chara healed him right away. "Frisk…"

He smiled. "Thanks, Chara."

She finished healing him, and she hugged him. "Stop being so reckless!"

"Aww, but I think it's hot how you want to protect me."

A small laugh escaped Chara's lips. "Well, you're worth saving."

Frisk's red eyes gazed at her lovingly. "I'm glad you're here for me."

Chara felt her face grow warm. It felt good knowing that she had made him happy. Frisk was so kind and cute and sweet, and Chara would always protect him. "Anytime, my Frisk."

She pulled her lover in for a quick kiss, feeling his soft lips for just a little while before they split apart. Chara badly wished she could spend some time alone with him, but there was too much at stake. The fight had clearly reminded them of that.

"So, uh, that seemed like a close call," Elodie said.

Chara nodded. "It was, one more hit would have killed him."

"Huh? How do you know for sure?"

"I can sense people's stats," she explained. "Some kind of demon power, I suppose."

"Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"So are you! You didn't tell me you knew magic!"

"Oh, yeah," Elodie said. "I've been practicing for a while now. Maybe we could train together sometime?"

She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Should be interesting." Elodie sighed. "On a more serious note, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Several monsters have been accused of trying to steal souls lately. None of them have been proven guilty, but that doesn't stop people from being paranoid."

Damn Malcom. Things were getting worse between humans and monsters. At this rate, monsters were going to get hurt. Humans didn't realize how fragile most of them were. Jeff probably didn't realize how close he came to killing Woshua. If they didn't do something, a monster could end up dead.

But Chara knew a solution was approaching their grasp. They had to expose Elizabeth as Felicia's murderer. If Jacob was involved, then they needed to find evidence against him too. If he was innocent, then learning the truth would hopefully lower his guard, perhaps even break him if they were lucky. Once he was out of the way, they needed Boaris to explain the truth behind his actions, that he hadn't simply gone crazy and destroyed the world for fun.

The only question was where they would get such evidence. Felicia's testimony probably wouldn't be enough. Would they even believe Felicia was actually in Chara's head?

No matter what happened, they weren't going to work miracles. There was going to be tension between humans and monsters for a long time. There was no stopping that, but hopefully they could prevent another war from breaking out.

And if everything went horribly wrong, she  _was_ a demon…

Frisk groaned. "I wish they would just get along."

Chara held his shoulder. "We'll make things right, Frisk."

He nodded. "Yeah, we will… By the way, what were you going to ask me before Jeff interrupted us?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask you if you wanted to watch Death Note with me, but that's stupid, isn't it? We have more important things to do."

"Chara, nothing's wrong with wanting to have fun."

"Frisk, another war could break out. We need to do everything we can to stop it."

He leaned in close to whisper. "Why don't we just have Felicia talk to Jacob?"

"We already talked about that," Chara whispered back. "I don't feel comfortable letting him know about her yet. We need to know for sure whether he already knows what Elizabeth did."

Elodie blinked. "What's with the whispering?"

"Don't ask," Flowey said. He could probably guess what they were talking about.

"Hmm, maybe Nate can help us," Frisk suggested.

That may not have been a terrible idea, actually. Perhaps Nate could get the information they needed. "Alright."

"I'll contact him right after school," Frisk whispered.

Chara nodded. "Okay."

"How's Felicia doing?"

"… not great."

"Is she okay with seeing Nate again?"

"Uh..."

_It's fine._

_Felicia! Are you all right?_

_Yeah, I just needed a minute._

_It's not your fault, Felicia._

_Frisk asked us a question._

"Felicia says it's okay," Chara whispered.

"Good. Meet me right after school."

"Got it."

Frisk checked the time. "We've still got some time until class starts." He sat down. "I'm starving."

Chara sat down with him. "Yeah, so am I."

Now that they had some downtime, Chara checked on her demon buddy.  _Felicia, are you sure you're okay?_

_Yeah, sorry for giving you the silent treatment. I'm done moping now, I promise. We have to stop this war._

_Yes, we do._

_I'll do whatever it takes, partner. I won't give up this time._

Chara smiled.  _I won't, either._

She looked at Frisk, and she wrapped her arm around him. Frisk smiled and snuggled up against her. Together, they enjoyed the rest of their lunch in peace.


	31. Multiplayer

Chara met back up with Flowey and Frisk as soon as school ended.

"Frisk, have you called him yet?" Chara asked.

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, he told me to find somewhere secluded."

"Somewhere secluded, huh? Hmm…" Chara thought about a place she used to go when she was a child. She wondered if it was still free of construction. It wasn't too far, so it was worth a shot. "I think I know a place."

Frisk held her hand. "Lead the way."

Flowey, not to be overshadowed by Frisk, hopped on Chara's shoulder. "Let's go."

Chara smiled, and she led them into the forest nearby. Surrounded by trees, Nate likely would have been satisfied if they stopped here, but Chara kept walking. It was a nice day, and she wanted to see it.

Just a few minutes later, they made it. Chara saw the river's water sparkling in the sunlight, and she saw the waterfall pouring down onto the sharp rocks. Along the riverbank were the golden flowers signature to the Ebott region. It was just like she remembered.

Frisk took it all in. "Pretty…" He smiled at her. "Just like you."

Chara blushed. "Frisk, we have a job to do."

"Doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves why doing it. That's why you came here, isn't it?"

Frisk read her like an open book. "Well, you're not wrong," she said. "I wanted to see this place."

"Anything special about it?"

"It's just a nice view, that's all. I used to come here when I wanted to be alone. I would climb the side of the waterfall and watch the river flow from above."

It was the same river that flowed into the Underground. The water was pure and beautiful at this point, but once it traveled through the city, it became filled with the humans' trash. It was just like humanity to imprison another race and use their prison as a garbage dump, but at least the monsters scavenged some useful things out of it.

Well, to be fair, monsters did it too…

Flowey pointed at the jagged ledge Chara used to climb. "So, that's where you trained your climbing skills, huh?"

She chuckled. "I suppose so."

Frisk noticed the sharp rocks below the waterfall, which made him turn pale. He was thinking the worst. "Chara… that looks dangerous…"

It wasn't that tall, about twenty feet, but landing on those rocks would certainly be fatal, a fact that Chara was well-aware of.

"Yeah," Flowey said. "Good thing you didn't fall here. I don't think you would have survived that one."

Chara said nothing, which made Frisk grow even more solemn. "You didn't come here just for the view, did you?"

She frowned. "I never considered  _that_ , but… I wasn't exactly protecting myself, either. I was always taking unnecessary risks like that."

"… is that why you climbed the mountain?"

"I wanted to run away, and what better place to run than the place where people disappear?"

"Chara…" Frisk's familiar arms wrapped around her and held her tight. "I won't let you disappear."

Chara never got tired of Frisk's sweetness. She smiled and hugged him back. In the back of her mind, she still felt like she didn't deserve Frisk's love, but for the most part, she was happy to be with him. "That was a long time ago," she whispered. "I will  _never_ take myself away from you."

Frisk hummed happily, and Chara let herself indulge in his loving embrace for a little longer before letting go. "Alright, Nate should be here soon."

"Right…"

_Are you ready, Felicia?_

_I told you. I'm fine._

_Are you sure? I know you two were close._

_I said I'm fine! Look, you don't even have to tell him I'm in here. Just do what you have to do._

A few moments later, they saw Nate approach. "Alright, what do you want?"

_Is that him?_ Felicia asked.

_Yes._

_W-wow… he's so… old…_

_He's forty-three, right? He's not_ that  _old._

_W-well, he's old for… I mean, you know, if we were still, umm, I mean.… he's old enough to be my father!_

Before they could speak, Nate held up his phone, displaying a message: 'Nora is watching.'

Nora? What was she doing? This complicated things. They definitely couldn't have her telling Jacob about Felicia. He'd probably accuse Chara of 'possessing' her or something, which wouldn't end well.

Frisk struggled to talk his way out of this. "Oh, uh, well… nice day, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Nate said, "but get to the point."

If Nora was watching them, that meant Jacob no longer trusted Nate. Perhaps they could dispel that distrust.

Chara folded her arms. "You know what we want. Tell us everything you know."

"About what?"

"You know what! Jacob  _let_  Boaris absorb his SOUL! It was his plan all along! Admit it!"

Nate was confused. "Uh, yeah? I thought we already agreed on that?"

So much for that…

Chara sighed. "You were supposed to play along, you idiot…"

Too late, Nate caught on. "Oh…"

Flowey had his own moment of revelation. "Wait a minute… why are we wasting time with Nate when a much better target is right by?"

Ah, good thinking, Flowey!

Nate blinked. "What?"

"Yeah," Chara said. "Nora undoubtedly knows  _much_  more about Jacob's plan than you."

"Hey!"

Flowey nodded. "Yep, she's  _way_  more important than you, Nate. Let's go interrogate her, instead."

"Right behind you, Brother!" Chara exclaimed.

Flowey pointed up the waterfall. "I bet she's up there. Let's get her." He started walking. "See you soon, Nate."

Chara followed him and waved. "Bye, Nate."

Nate had some concerns. "What are you doing?"

"Wait!" Frisk cried, not too happy with this plan. "Do you really have to fight?"

Chara stopped and smiled at him. "Don't worry, Frisk. We've got this."

He frowned. "But, you could get hurt."

She held his shoulder. "I know you have my back." She kissed him on the cheek, and she ran to the cliff.

Flowey used a vine to grapple up the ledge, and he let another vine down for Chara, which made the climb a lot easier. She reached the top, and she saw Nora further up the river.

_Felicia, are you okay with this?_

_Last time I attacked Nora, she was innocent. She's not innocent anymore. I have a few questions I'd like to ask her myself._

Good. Chara wasn't going to  _kill_  Nora, but she had no problem hurting her.

Flowey aimed a thorn at her. "I want a rematch!"

Nora stared back at him. "You know threatening an officer is a serious crime, right?"

"Oh, sure. If you wanted, you could go crying to Jacob and arrest us right now." He smirked. "But that's just not your style."

Nora grinned and reached for her sword. "I killed you once, didn't I? What makes you think this will be any different?"

"I'm the only one who remembers that fight. I know all your tricks, and even more importantly, I've got Chara on my side!"

Nora laughed. "Two-on-one, huh? That's not very fair."

Chara gripped an energy knife. She had waited so long for this chance. "You're going to pay for what you did to him."

"He's still alive, isn't he? I don't see what you're complaining about. Sure, I killed him, but I didn't  _kill_ him, you know? I knew Frisk would just reset. Really, he can get away with anything."

_You… think he is above consequences?_

That sent Chara over the edge. She felt herself rage harder than the Mad Dummy. This arrogant, rotten, monster-hating murderer needed to be punished. Chara was going to wipe that smile off her face. She screamed, and she ran towards her.

Nora smirked and swung her sword, sending waves of magical energy racing towards her. She was about to run right into them before she felt Flowey wrap a vine around her and pull her out of the way. The force knocked her off her feet, but it hurt much less than Nora's magic would have.

"Don't listen to her," Flowey said. "She wants to get in your head. Stay calm, and we'll beat her."

Chara got back up and nodded. "Right."

"It's true, though," Nora said. "This isn't fair at all. If I win, Frisk will keep resetting until you beat me, but that's all right. I'll still entertain you. This  _is_ fun, isn't it?"

_She grew up twisted,_ Felicia thought.

_You don't say?_

Chara tried to think of a plan. She didn't want Frisk to reset. She wanted to  _win_. Her brother was right by her side; they could do this.

Nora began her attack. She opened with a volley of fireballs, forcing them on the defensive as she closed the distance. Chara ducked under the burning magic and looked up in time to see Nora's blade swing towards her. She quickly raised her knife and parried the strike, knocking Nora back, but not off balance.

"Asriel, use your circle attack!"

Flowey surrounded Nora with a circle of deadly energy bullets, an attack that was practically unavoidable to the average person. Nora, however, was far from average. She charged up her sword with magic. When she released, her whole body spun around with inhuman speed. Her blade whirled around in a magic-fueled spin attack, slicing apart all of Flowey's bullets.

It was an impressive move, but it left her wide open. Chara threw a trio of energy knives straight into her face. They all connected, staggering her and making her grimace in pain. Chara sensed each knife deal four damage, leaving Nora with forty-two HP out of a maximum forty-four (A well-rested bonus had raised it by ten points above her cap.) Nora could also heal as long as she had healing items or EN remaining. At this rate, they weren't going to do enough damage before Nora killed one of them.

Nora recovered and traded magic attacks with Flowey. At the same time, Chara heard Frisk climb up the ledge. She called out to him. "Frisk, give me my knife!"

He was  _not_ having a good time, but he obeyed. He took out Chara's real knife and handed it to her. "Don't kill her, okay?"

Chara carefully took the knife, treating it like the deadly tool it was. "I won't, I promise."

"Don't be killed, either."

Chara was filled with determination. "I won't die."

With her knife in hand, Chara felt more powerful. Simply possessing the knife boosted her attack by fifteen points, and the physical blade would do much more damage than her magic imitations. Until now, she had been afraid to take it back, but not anymore. Chara would always regret her plan with Asriel, but she couldn't let that control her. She was going to make it right.

She returned her attention to the fight. Flowey fired a barrage of thorns, which Nora deflected with a barrier. Chara took this opportunity to get close. She lunged at Nora and thrust her knife at her, but Nora was faster. She sidestepped the knife, and Chara narrowly avoided her counterattack.

"You seem different," Nora said. "I sense more killing intent in you than usual, and not just because we're fighting. No, it's directed at someone else. Who pissed you off, I wonder?"

She really liked to run her mouth. Chara aimed another thrust at her stomach, only to hit a solid wall of light, knocking her off balance. A rush of adrenaline surged through Chara as she saw Nora break through the barrier and swing her sword. Chara wasn't going to dodge it in time.

Just before the blade connected, a vine wrapped around Nora's arm and threw her to the ground. Something beneath the ground rumbled, and Nora rolled backwards to avoid a massive, thorned vine erupting from below.

Chara caught her breath. "Thanks, Brother."

Flowey prepared another attack. "This should give you an opening."

As Nora got back to her feet, Flowey's bombs rained down all around her. She used her sword's shockwave attack to intercept them, detonating them in mid-air, but once again, it left her open. Chara dashed through the explosions and brought her knife down through Nora's shoulder, drenching it in her blood. Nora whimpered and shook Chara off of her with a burst of flame. She stifled a scream as the intense heat washed over her face.

Before Chara could shake it off, she felt Nora grab her by the neck. She lifted her off the ground and used her as a shield against a burst of thorns from Flowey. Chara cried out as each of her brother's thorns pierced her body. Blood seeped from her wounds, and she felt her HP drain to four points out of twenty.

"Chara!" Flowey lashed out his vine like a whip, striking Nora's head. At the same time, Chara sent an energy knife through her back and broke free. She ran to her brother, panting from the pain.

"I'm so sorry," Flowey said.

"It's okay." Chara used a spell to heal herself. Her wounds closed and her HP was restored to twenty, but it came at the cost of EN, reducing it to about sixty percent. She had to be careful. As Alphys had explained, she'd die if her EN reached zero.

She looked up at Nora, who was also healing her wounds. She sensed that she was also down to about sixty percent EN, and Flowey was at fifty percent. It was close, except that Nora could deplete all her EN without fear of death.

Nora looked back at her. She was still smiling. She wasn't motivated by any hatred or malice towards them. She was simply enjoying herself.

"Hey, what's that coming out of your eyes?" Nora asked.

Chara wiped them. The tar was coming down, as it always did when she used magic intensively. No matter. She had accepted that she was no longer human.

"That was a dirty trick!" Flowey yelled.

Nora cast a fireball and bounced it around her hand. "Aww, I'm sorry, Azzy. Can I call you Azzy? You're feeling left out, aren't you? Here, I'll give you some love."

Nora surrounded Flowey with fire magic. Not good. Fire attacks were super effective against anything like grass. Even the little monsters knew that. Several fiery orbs hovered around him, and they all shot out a column of flame.

Chara's heart stopped. "Asriel!"

When the flames died, Flowey had disappeared, only a crack in the ground remained. He had burrowed underground. Thank God.

Nora redirected the orbs to Chara. "Well, you can't do that."

Chara frantically dodged each stream of flame as they came towards her. She thought about jumping into the river, but that was too risky. The current might have swept her off the waterfall. She shot a few of the orbs down with her energy knives, but they were all around her. One struck her directly in the back. She winced as she turned around and destroyed the orb. Fire  _hurt_.

She turned back around and saw four more, just moments away from incinerating her. She felt another spike of adrenaline. What could she do?

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Four gunshots rang out, destroying each orb with perfect accuracy. Chara looked back and saw Nate aiming his revolver. "Cut it out! Both of you!"

Nora glared at him. "Nate, stay out of this."

"Your orders were to observe Chara, not fight her!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It was a bit hard to do that after you  _ratted me out_!"

Chara heard Flowey digging his way underground. Keep talking…

"Nora, you can't seriously agree with what Jacob's doing," Nate said. "I know you hate monsters, but this is too much."

"It's not about that," Nora replied. "It's about keeping us safe. I thought you understood. Since when did you start doubting us?"

Nate proceeded to mock her. "Hey, humans! I heard you didn't like getting killed by monsters, so I gave a monster my soul and had him kill you, so you won't be killed by monsters!"

Nora grit her teeth. "That's different!"

"No!" Nate shouted. "This plan of yours is insane! If you have your way, we'll have to wage war against all of monsterkind. I won't be a part of it!"

Just a little more…

Nora sighed. "Why can't you just be a good little brother and listen to your sister? Why can't you just go along with the plan?" She gripped her sword. "And YOU are not as quiet as you think!"

Suddenly, she planted her sword in the ground, shattering it. Chara heard a high-pitched scream.

"Asriel!"

Nora pulled her sword out, fishing Flowey out of the ground. He was hurt, but still alive. Nora flung him back down on the ground, and in her right hand, she charged up a deadly flamethrower attack to finish him off.

_No!_

Chara ran to her brother's side just in time. She shielded him with the strongest barrier she could cast. Nora's flame crashed against it with relentless force. Chara could feel her EN drop rapidly, but she couldn't let go. She had to save him. She had to save Asriel.

Tar poured down Chara's eyes as her EN continued to fall. Her barrier started to crack, and Asriel was still on the ground.

"Please, Asriel! Get up!"

He didn't move, and Chara's wall of light flickered. She couldn't hold it much longer, but she had to. She couldn't give up. She couldn't let Asriel die again. She couldn't…

Soemthing struck the back of Nora's head, hard. She turned around and saw Frisk, brandishing some kind of baton. She raised her sword. "You…"

With all her strength, Chara skewered Nora with as many energy knives as she could cast. Dozens of knives went right through Nora's body. Her body convulsed as each one pierced her, and when it was over, she collapsed to the ground, with only a single HP remaining. They had won.

Chara soon collapsed as well, and Frisk caught her as she fell. She had less than five percent EN left. She felt like she was going to pass out, but she'd live.

"Chara…"

She smiled and held his cheek. "Oh, thank you, Frisk."

Frisk's beautiful red eyes became watery. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Chara looked back at Flowey. He had a hole in his face, but he was still breathing. "Asriel…"

He coughed. "I'll live. I've had worse."

She prepared a healing spell for him, but he stopped her. "Not now, you idiot. It could kill you."

"But…"

Frisk summoned a slice of Toriel's pie from his dimensional box and gave it to Flowey. "I've got you."

"Oh, thank you." Flowey took the pie and ate it. The magical food dissolved in his month, and his wounds were healed.

Relief washed over Chara's heart. Together, they had done it. They had subdued Nora, and everyone was okay. She looked at Frisk and Flowey. "I…"

Chara vomited tar all over herself. Frisk and Flowey both supported her. "Are you okay?" Frisk asked.

"I'll be fine," she answered. "I just need some rest." She looked at Frisk. "By the way, where did you get that baton?"

He held it out. It was a retractable police baton. "I stole it from Nate."

Chara inspected it. "Police baton," she narrated. "Fourteen attack. Like the stick, but with less bark. May render its target unconscious."

"Heh, whatever you say."

She smiled at him. "You were really cool, Frisk."

He blushed. "I just wanted to help you."

Flowey held her shoulder. "Hey… thanks for saving me."

They were both so precious. She laughed, coughing up a bit more tar in the process.

"What is it?" Frisk asked.

She wiped the tar off her mouth. "It's just… I love both of you so much."

Frisk smiled, and he held Chara and Flowey in a warm group hug. "I love you too."

"Heh, I guess we did okay," Flowey said.

They held each other for a while longer. Chara was so glad to have both of them by her side. They had both protected her. She couldn't have done it without them.

Flowey let go. "Okay, hate to interrupt the tender moment, but we should probably turn our attention back to Nora before she gets up."

Chara nodded. "Yeah, we probably should."

Nate was kneeling over Nora, still lying on the ground. She was too injured to stand, but she was alive. Nate shot them an angry look. "Was this really necessary?"

"Sure was," Flowey said. "Last time we met, she kind of severed me in half, so… yeah."

Frisk held out the baton for him. "Sorry, you can have this back now."

Nate waved him away. "Keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"It suits you."

Frisk clicked the button to retract it, and he put it away. "Thanks, and sorry about Nora."

"If she dies, I'll kill you." He wasn't kidding.

Nora groaned and smiled. "Looks like you beat me."

"Search her for wiretaps," Chara said. "Malcom may be listening."

Nora took out a small metal device and crushed it in her hand. "That was it. Honest. No need for indecency."

Chara looked over her. It was time for answers.

_Well done, Chara. I'll take it from here._

_Wait, what?_

Felicia forced Chara's eyes shut, and when they opened, she was in control. Felicia stared down at Nora. "Hello, Nora."

She looked confused. "Uh, hello? I thought we already met?"

"What's the matter? You don't recognize me?"

Frisk looked at her fearfully. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, what the hell is going on?" Nora demanded.

"Come on, Nora," Felicia said. "That's not how you greet an old friend."

"What?!"

"I'm not Chara."

It slowly started to click. "You… you're the soul that Chara is using. Who are you?"

"You really don't know?"

"Stop playing games! Who are you?!"

She smiled. "It's me, Felicia."

Nora's eyes widened, like she was seeing a ghost. "Felicia…? No, that's impossible."

Her smiled turned into a grin. "Yeah, didn't expect  _that_ , did ya?"

"Felicia…' Nate breathed. "Is that really you?"

"Nate, that can't be her," Nora insisted. "Felicia is dead."

"That's right," Felicia said. "I  _was_ dead, thanks to Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth? What kind of sadistic joke is this?"

"It... it was your mother?" Nate asked. "Oh, Felicia…"

"She's not Felicia!" Nora yelled. "It's some kind of trick!"

He shook his head. "No, it's really her. It's Felicia's SOUL. They told me a while ago."

"What?! Nate, you  _knew_  all this time?! How could you hide that from us?!"

He frowned. "Because she was murdered."

"Murdered?! What are you talking about? She got sick!"

"Poisoned," Felicia corrected.

Nora was still in denial. "I don't doubt that Elizabeth had it in her, but how did you end up here?"

"Frisk found my soul in the terrorist base. I assume Elizabeth gave it to them so they could kill Frisk, but their leader had his own plans. It's frustrating when people won't listen, isn't it?"

"But… why didn't you reset?" Nate asked.

"Oh, I reset," she said. "Hundreds of times, but I was too weak. Elizabeth wasn't alone. She had at least three assassins under her influence. One of them is dead now, but the other two are still out there."

"We… couldn't stop them?"

Felicia grimaced. "I gave up, like a fucking coward, but that won't happen again." She looked at Nora. "Now, I have some questions for you."

Nora gulped, slowly becoming convinced that Felicia had returned. "What?"

"When I died, how did Jacob take it? And what did you say to him?"

"Well…"

* * *

Nora stared at Felicia as she lied in the open casket. She never expected this. Out of nowhere, Felicia had fallen ill, and in a matter of weeks, she was dead. There was nothing they could do. Not even DT could cure a virus. Why did something so mindless and destructive have to exist in this cruel world? It wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry, Felicia," she whispered. "I know we didn't always get along, but you didn't deserve this. Even when we argued, I always considered you a friend. I'll miss you."

She stepped away from the casket and watched the rest of the service. No one was happy with it. Jacob and Nate were both devastated. Booker was barely keeping himself away from alcohol, and Elizabeth was reluctant to speak with anyone. Mom and Dad were also not faring well. They knew Nate and Felicia were very fond of each other. They were all asking the same question: Why did this have to happen?

Strangely, part of Nora felt like she was to blame, like she had failed to protect Felicia from something, but that was ridiculous. There was no reason Felicia had died, other than the whims of a mindless killing machine, too small to even see. All they could do now was move on.

As the others continued to say their goodbyes, Elizabeth approached Nora. Oh, poor Elizabeth. Her expression was heartbreaking, tears still watered her blue eyes. Nora would expect nothing less from a mother who just lost her daughter. She hoped Elizabeth would get through this. Would she still be able to serve as the President after this?

"Nora, how are you doing?" she asked.

"Angry," she answered. "I just want to get out here and scream into that uncaring void for a while. What about you?"

Elizabeth sniffled. "Not well, not well at all. I know we had our disagreements, but she was my daughter. I loved her."

Nora nodded. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"Yes, you understand. And… this may sound horrible, but at least I still have Jacob."

"No, it's good you feel that way," Nora said. "You should mourn Felicia, but you have to move on, for Jacob, and for the nation."

She wiped her eyes. "Y-yeah... Nora, Jacob hasn't been taking it well, and… I want to make sure he moves on too. Do you understand?"

Nora caught her drift. She didn't want Jacob to take on Felicia's ideologies. She was worried that Jacob might try to start a campaign to free the monsters in her honor. Maybe it was a horrible thing to bring up, especially at her funeral, but Nora understood. She didn't want Jacob doing anything stupid for Felicia's sake, either.

Nora solemnly nodded. "Yes, I completely understand. I'll talk to him."

Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Thank you, Nora. I knew I could trust you. You're a good child. Your parents should be proud."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he moves on from Felicia."

Nora left and headed for Jacob. He was sitting by himself, silently crying. Nora sat down next to him. "Hey."

"Nora, why did she have to die?"

"Because… she forgot to wash her hands, I guess?"

"Nora…"

"There is no reason. Sometimes, innocent people die, and that's just how it is."

Jacob sobbed. "I… I don't know what to do without her."

Nora held his shoulder. "Jacob, you have to think for yourself. It's what she would want."

"But… what should I do?"

"… I think Felicia would want you to do what  _you_ think is right. She'd want you to make your own choices."

Jacob was quiet for a while.

"And… she'd want you to take care of your mom and dad.".

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right… God, they'll want me to become the next president."

Nora smiled. "I'll think you'd make a great president."

He frowned. "But not the same as Felicia."

"You're right. You're not the same as Felicia, but that's okay. You can do this, Jacob. Just be yourself."

"Myself, huh?"

"Yes, I know you. You're strong, and you will always protect humanity, no matter what. Even if that means… doing things differently."

Jacob stared at her, and he hugged her. "Thank you, Nora."

She returned the embrace, rubbing her hand along his back. "It'll be okay, Jacob."

"But… I don't think I can do it alone. Nora, will you help me? Maybe you could be, like, my knight or something."

She laughed. "That sounds wonderful."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't be scared, I'll protect you."

She meant that. She cared about him. She cared about all her friends. She would protect them. The world was cruel, but as long as it was in her power, she'd never let Jacob die like Felicia.

* * *

Felicia stared down at Nora with disgust on her face. "Nora… what the fuck?"

She laughed nervously. "Uh… no hard feelings?"

Felicia clenched her fists, filled with rage. "Do you not understand what you did? You corrupted Jacob. He never would have hurt anyone if it weren't for you and your sick influence."

"Hey! If I knew Elizabeth murdered you, I might have conducted myself a little differently!"

Felicia violently stomped on her face, eliciting a shocked squeal. "Don't blame  _her_  for what  _you_ did!"

_Hey, careful!_  Chara warned.  _She's almost dead as is!_

_Yeah, almost. Let's fix that._

_Felicia!_

Nate grabbed her. "Felicia! Calm down!"

She shoved him away. "Stay back! This is between me and her!"

"F-Felicia…"

She returned her attention to Nora. "You said we were friends. What kind of friend turns your own brother against you? You're disgusting, and to think I let myself die to save you!"

Nora whimpered. "Felicia, I'm… I'm sorry…"

"Oh? You're sorry? Well, that makes it  _all_  better!"

"I… I was scared, okay?! I admit it! I'm scared of monsters! I just wanted to protect everyone! Nate… Jacob… I don't want anyone else to die!"

Felicia crouched down and pulled out Chara's knife. "I don't forgive you."

"What are you doing?!" Nate yelled.

Chara saw her knife glint in the sunlight as Felicia pointed it down at Nora.  _Felicia! No!_

_Why are you defending her?_

Chara may have hated Nora for what she did to Flowey, and she  _did_ want to kill her for a while, but this wasn't justice. She didn't have to die.

Nate pulled his gun on her, with trembling hands. "F-Felicia! Don't do it!"

Felicia coldly glanced back at him. "You're not going to shoot me, Nate."

His whole body kept shaking. "H-hey, Asriel! Do something!"

"I don't know," Flowey said. "I think she should do it."

"Asriel!"

As Nate and Flowey argued, Frisk stepped forward. "Felicia, stop!" he shouted. 'If you kill her, I'll reset!"

"Is that so?" she challenged. "You think you're still in control?"

Was Felicia suggesting that  _she_ had taken over as World Master again? Chara hadn't even considered that, but it  _was_ possible. Two demons in one SOUL may have powered it up considerably, perhaps even enough to overtake Frisk. If so, that was… pretty bad.

Frisk slowly moved closer. "Felicia, just put the knife down. You don't need to do this."

She glared at him. "Frisk, you did a great job freeing the monsters, but now you're just being ridiculous. Nora turned Jacob into a murderer, and you expect me to  _forgive_ her?!"

He shook his head. "No, I don't expect you to forgive her, but you don't have to kill her!"

_Listen to him,_ Chara urged.  _Regardless of how you feel about her, she's more useful to us alive than dead._

_Who cares?! I know you want her dead as much as I do, so stop being Frisk's bitch and let her die!_

Nora shuddered below Felicia. She could feel her killing intent. "Felicia, please!"

"Beg all you want. I don't care."

Chara tried to regain control, but couldn't move a muscle of her own body. Felicia's determination was too strong… Or, maybe Chara just didn't have the willpower to stop her. Felicia was right. Part of her still wanted Nora dead as well.

_Frisk, I'm sorry._

"Felicia," Nora whispered, "if you kill me, you'll have to kill Jacob too."

"How so?"

"It was him who pushed everything this far. I may have helped him out, but you just said not to blame others for what you've done. We're both equally to blame. If you kill me, you're a hypocrite!"

Felicia sighed. "Just shut up."

_FELICIA!_

Felicia pressed her knife against Nora's neck.


	32. Mirrors

Flowey watched with anticipation as Felicia threatened to kill Nora. It was a very tense moment. Nate even pulled his gun on her, but Flowey and Felicia both knew he wasn't going to shoot. Even if he did, his hands were shaking so hard that his shot probably would have went wide. How pathetic. So much for the emotionless soldier Flowey thought he was.

Nate looked at him. "H-hey, Asriel! Do something!"

"I don't know," Flowey said. "I think she should do it."

"Asriel!"

Frisk stepped forward to confront Felicia. Meanwhile, Nate seized Flowey by the stem. "What are you doing?! Help her!"

Flowey shrugged. "Why should I? I believe I already told you what I think of her."

"She's my sister, damn it!"

"Do you think I care?" He didn't. Why should he save Nora? She had killed him, and she had  _just_ tried to kill him again. She was the enemy. It was kill or be killed.

"Of course not," Nate groused. "You don't care about anyone."

"Sure don't."

"So, if Chara were the one being held at knifepoint, what would you do? Would you just sit there and watch? Would you let Chara die?"

"Last time I checked, Nora is not Chara, so I don't see your point."

"Nora is  _my_ Chara!"

"And that sucks for you."

"… fine," Nate said. "If you won't do it for Nora, then do it for Chara."

For Chara?

"How do you think Chara will feel if Felicia kills her?" Nate challenged. "To her, it'll be like  _she_ killed Nora, and all the EXP Felicia gains will be felt by Chara as well. Will you let that happen? Are you willing to let your sister become a murderer?"

What? No, that was ridiculous! Chara wasn't responsible for Felicia, and even if she was, so what? Honestly, would anyone miss Nora? Besides Nate? Flowey didn't care how sorry Nora was. The world would be better without her.

… is that really how he felt? How Asriel felt? What would Asriel do? Would Asriel save Nora? Did Nora have any redeeming qualities?

Well, she did seem to care about her friends. She even gave her life several times over trying to save Felicia. She was brave, strong, and loyal, anything a friend could ask for.

But she hated monsters, so much that it drove her to let Boaris absorb her soul just to prove how dangerous it was. She had taken part in a horrible plan, in the name of protecting humanity. She wanted monsterkind to be imprisoned forever, if not destroyed. She hated them, but even more so, she was afraid of them.

The more Flowey thought about it, the more she sounded like Chara, just on an opposite side.

He looked up at Felicia. She had her knife to Nora's neck. No more time. It was a hard choice, but he had to decide, now. If he were Asriel…

_Don't kill, and don't be killed, alright? That's the best you can strive for._

"Damn it!"

Flowey shot out his vines and constricted them around Felicia's throat, strangling her. He heard Felicia gag horribly as she struggled in his grasp. Flowey was certain he'd won, until he felt Felicia's knife cut through one of his vines. He winced, and Felicia cut through the second one. She was free. She lunged at Nora and…

_Whack!_

Frisk struck Felicia's forehead with his new baton. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

Flowey looked down at her. "Well, what do you know? Chara was right; it  _can_ knock people out. Good job, Frisk."

Frisk looked down at Chara's unconscious body, with regret in his eyes. "Chara…"

Oh, great. More whining. "Frisk, it's fine," Flowey said. "You hit  _Felicia_ , not Chara."

"How could Felicia do that to her? How could she just… control her like that?"

Yeah, just a day after awakening, Felicia had already betrayed their trust. She had decided she could assume direct control of Chara's body against her will, and what was to stop her from doing it again?

Frisk brushed his hand over the spot he hit her. The baton had left a dark bruise on her forehead. He held her, nuzzling his cheek against hers. "I'm sorry."

Flowey checked on Nora. Felicia had not harmed her; she was okay. She sat by Felicia, looking grim. "Felicia… I had no idea."

"Don't think you're off the hook," Flowey chided. "Felicia is right to hate you."

"Maybe…"

Chara groaned, starting to wake up, or was it Felicia? Everyone watched her, waiting to see who it was.

Her bright red eyes glared at Nora hatefully. It was still Felicia. Flowey restrained her before she could get up.

"Why did you stop me?!" she screamed.

Frisk tried to calm her down. "Felicia, just -"

"If it weren't for Nora, Jacob would have been just like you, Frisk! He would have used his power to help the monsters, not keep them oppressed! Nora changed him, twisted him, corrupted him. Everything would have been fine if it weren't for her!"

"Yeesh," Flowey breathed. "Calm down before you give Chara a heart attack."

Felicia tugged against Flowey's restraints, to no avail. Even Frisk was running out of patience. "What about you? You just tried to force Chara to kill someone. She didn't want to do it, but you tried to make her anyway. That is  _not_ okay!"

Felicia shook her head. "No, she wanted me to do it. It's just you that's holding her back."

"You don't know a thing about Chara!"

"And you do? You think you know her?"

"I would hope so!"

"Whatever! Nora needs to -"

"Enough!" Nate shouted. "Felicia, I know you're angry, but don't take it out on Nora. If you really need someone to blame for Jacob's sins, blame Elizabeth. She played us all for fools, Jacob and Nora included. She used us all like pawns in her little game."

Felicia only grew more frustrated. "Nate, I  _died_ for this. I died to save all of you, and how did Nora thank me? By  _helping_ my murderer! How can I possibly forgive that?"

"Felicia," Nora said, "I swear if I had known, things would've been different."

"So what? Nothing will change what you did."

"Maybe not, but we can make it right. Just tell Jacob what happened. He'll bring Elizabeth to justice; I'm sure of it."

"And what of your justice? You may have acted under her instructions, but you still helped her."

Nate held her shoulder. "Felicia… let it go."

"No! Sorry isn't going to cut it!"

Nora smiled. "I see what you did there."

"Huh?"

"Sorry won't cut it, but a knife will, right?"

Felicia was not amused. She was fuming. "You think you're clever?"

She frowned. "No, I'm not. I never should have trusted Elizabeth. It was so  _obvious_ your death was no accident, but I never suspected a thing. I can't believe I was so stupid. I want to make up to you however I can. Just, you know, not by dying. Not like this."

Felicia stared at her silently for a while.

"Come on, Felicia," Frisk pressed. "She's sorry, and she wants to help."

Felicia looked back at him. "Seriously, Frisk. Do you not believe in killing? Like, at all?"

Frisk hesitated, not sure how to respond.

"At the very least," Felicia said, "promise me that Elizabeth will die. If I get the chance to kill her, you won't stop me."

That was a lot to ask from Frisk, even if they did deserve it.

"… I'll leave her to you," Frisk said.

Flowey was a bit surprised. Turns out, even Frisk drew the line at murdering your own child.

Felicia sighed. "Fine, you can have your Chara back now." Before she left, she cast one last glare at Nora. "You're a rotten friend. I hope you realize that."

That seemed to cut Nora surprisingly deep. "I know."

Nate had something to say before she left as well. "Wait," he said. "Felicia… I miss you."

That calmed Felicia down a bit. "Yeah… how are you?"

"All right, I guess."

"Th-that's good… So, why did you join the Military Police?"

"Why do you think?" Nate asked. "When you died, I felt like I had lost a battle, and I wanted to fight back. I just didn't know who the enemy was."

"I see," Felicia said, "but, are you happy?"

"For the most part, yes, but it took a while."

"Umm… anyone special?"

Nate nodded, garnering a mixed reaction from Felicia. "I… I see."

Felicia looked happy that Nate had moved on, yet sad at the same time. The thought of them being together was absurd at this point, but emotions were often illogical. Flowey knew that  _very_  well.

Wait, Nate had a significant other? Flowey never would have guessed.

"Felicia…"

She sniffled. "It's alright. I'm happy for you."

"… I wish you survived," Nate said.

She was more than ready to go. "Goodbye, Nate."

Felicia closed her eyes, and Chara's eyes opened. "It's me."

Frisk helped her up and embraced her. "Chara…"

She looked weary. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I couldn't stop her."

"It's alright. Everything's okay now."

Chara frowned. "I promised you I wouldn't kill her, but… I think Felicia was right. Part of me wanted to kill Nora, so that's why I couldn't -"

"It's okay."

"… I did not enjoy being controlled," Chara said. "Not one bit."

A thought occurred to Flowey. "Wait, how do we know it's really Chara? What if Felicia's trying to trick us?"

Frisk shook his head. "No, it's her. It's Chara."

"How can you be so sure?"

He smiled and caressed Chara's cheek. "Her eyes."

"Her eyes?"

Frisk nodded. "When Felicia takes over, her eyes turn a different shade of red. Chara's eyes are brighter than mine, but Felicia's eyes are even brighter."

They were? "How did you even notice that?"

He laughed. "I guess you notice these things about the person you love."

Flowey groaned.

Chara smiled warmly. "Aww, Frisk. You're always so sweet."

He smiled back and stroked her auburn hair. "My Chara…"

Flowey ignored those shameless lovebirds and focused on Nora. "So, how are you doing?"

"This is a lot to take in," she answered.

"You  _are_ going to help us now, right? You better help us."

She sighed. "Look, I still don't like monsters. You're not going to change that overnight. Still, I can't let Elizabeth get away with murdering Felicia. She's going to pay for tricking me."

"What about Jacob?"

"Jacob… took an interesting approach to coping. He couldn't accept that Felicia's death was meaningless. He made himself believe that Felicia's death was some kind of divine intervention, that if she hadn't died, her belief in equality with monsters would have destroyed us all. He can't accept living in a world that takes innocent lives, so he decided that Felicia wasn't innocent."

"Sounds like someone really needs a reality check," Flowey said. "Like it or not, not everyone gets the happy ending they deserve."

Asriel sure didn't.

Nora nodded. "Indeed. However, I think if we tell him the truth, he'll see things a  _lot_ differently."

"I hope so," Chara said.

"Anything else that might help us?" Flowey asked.

"Well… he's planning some kind of announcement," Nora said. "I don't know what it's about, but whatever it is, it's important."

"When?" Frisk asked.

"Uh… probably right about now."

Oh, great.

"It's not a declaration of war, is it?" Chara fearfully asked.

Nora shook her head. "No, can't be that. That's up to the Senate, not the President."

"Let's hurry back home," Frisk said. "Maybe we can still catch it before it's over."

"Ugh, can we not have a moment to rest?" a very tired Chara complained.

Frisk smiled at her. "Need me to carry you?"

"Oh, I'll be fine. Let's get moving."

Before they left, Nora stood up and held out her hand. "Hey, truce? At least until we take care of Elizabeth."

"And after?" Chara asked.

"We'll see."

After a moment, Chara reached out to Nora and shook her hand. "Alright."

Chara and Nora shaking hands? Flowey hadn't seen that one coming.

"Yes!" Frisk exclaimed. "No more fighting!"

"Yeah," Nate said. "Let's  _not_  try to kill each other. What a novel idea."

Nora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not a savage. Just let me know when you're ready."

"We'll be sure to keep in touch," Flowey said. "See you soon."

"Until then."

All things considered, Flowey was surprised how well everything went. Not only did they get the information they needed, they had also managed to form a tentative alliance with Nora. First Nate, and now Nora. The President's own allies were turning against him. Flowey dared to think that victory might actually be possible.

Of course, there was the unfortunate incident with Felicia. Flowey still couldn't care less whether Nora lived or died, but Felicia had proven herself dangerous by taking control of Chara like that. They would have to watch out for her.

But for now, it was time to go home.

* * *

Frisk returned home with Asriel and Chara. Toriel was working late at her school, so the house was empty. They sat down in the living room and turned on the TV. They made it just in time to see what Jacob's announcement was about.

"… was not made lightly," Jacob said. "These documents have been classified for a reason, but I believe recent events have necessitated their disclosure. Everyone, human and monster, must have all the information they need to understand what's happening."

Classified documents? What was he talking about?

"For years," Jacob continued, "we have guarded a ghastly secret. It is common knowledge that other timelines aside from our own exist. However, details of timeline research have, until today, remained top secret. It is with great regret that I must announce what our scientists have discovered, a terrible truth that cannot be ignored. While studying these timelines, we have found that several of them end abruptly. Yes, entire worlds… destroyed in an instant."

Oh, that. They already knew about that from Felicia's memories, but it was news to the public…

"There is only one thing that could possibly be responsible," Jacob claimed. "This can only be the power of monsters, ascended to godlike beings with human souls. Some still cling to the belief that, despite the actions of Boaris, it is still perfectly safe for monsters to coexist with humanity, but not only is our destruction a possibility, it has already happened. I will do everything in my power to keep us safe, but I can only do so much alone. I will need your support."

This was bad. Very bad. Jacob just added  _much_ more fuel to the flame. Seeing entire worlds be destroyed for seemingly no reason was terrifying enough on its own, and after Boaris's rampage, monsters were the obvious suspects. Frisk was filled with dread. Had they lost?

Chara started laughing. Frisk knew that was how she coped with pain. He held her shoulder to comfort her.

"Frisk, we won."

He blinked. "We won? How?"

"He just screwed himself. Those timelines, it's not monsters who are destroying them. If they were, Boaris would have done it. It seems there are some things even an ascended monster cannot do. No, there's something else. Something even more powerful than an ascended monster. Those timelines, they were destroyed by demons, like me."

Frisk didn't follow. "What? You think you could do it? Chara, you're not  _that_  strong."

"Not as I am," she said, "but if I were to kill, and gain EXP, I would become stronger.  _Much_ stronger, far more than when a human raises their LOVE. I admit, I don't fully understand how it works. There may be another, hidden stat at play, but regardless, I am even more dangerous than monsters."

So, Chara thought she was like the demon in the story Monty told Felicia. Was she right? Could she really become that powerful? "What makes you so sure?"

"Gaster," Chara said. "He was researching these other timelines, and he warned everyone about a red-eyed human. He said if that human killed, they would be a threat to monsters and humanity alike. He may very well have been talking about me."

Chara wasn't making any sense. "About you?" Frisk asked. "Why would he warn everyone about you? You didn't hurt anyone."

"Maybe not in this timeline," she said, "but in others, things could have been different."

"You mean if someone else fell underground? Besides me?"

"I suppose if you had made different choices…  _I_ would have acted differently as well."

Why did Chara always have to be so morbid? And hard on herself? "Well, that didn't happen," Frisk said, "so don't worry about it."

Chara sighed. "The point is, Jacob's wrong. Demons are what humanity should fear, not monsters. We just need to prove that, and we win."

That was Chara's plan? Blame it on demons? Frisk doubted that would be the 'victory' Chara seemed to think it was. People wouldn't simply forget about the monster threat, and that wasn't the only problem Frisk had with it. "Chara, if  _you_ are one of these demons…"

She laughed. "Frisk, they already hate me, so what if they hate me more? Who cares?"

"I care! I'm sick of the way people treat you, and I the last thing I want is for that to get even worse!"

"Do you have a better idea?!" she snapped. "What do you think is destroying those timelines?"

Well, he didn't want to think it was monsters…

"Demons, Frisk. Like it or not, creatures like me are the world's greatest threat, and everyone should know the truth."

Maybe Chara had a point. The truth was important. If she was right, if it really was demons who were destroying  _entire worlds_ , people needed to know, but Chara didn't deserve to take the fall for it.

"Well," Asriel said, "I have to admit that I have  _no idea_ what Asriel would say in this situation. It sounds like a tough decision. Have fun making it, you two."

_Thanks, Azzy…_

Frisk breathed deeply. "Okay, assuming we go this route, how would we prove it's demons? Can we retrieve Gaster's research?"

"That… could be a problem," Chara said. "Gaster was kind of… erased from history."

Erased from... history? "Uh, what?"

"As crazy as it sounds, it's true," Asriel said. "To say Gaster 'disappeared' would be an understatement. Besides Chara and myself, only Sans and the River Person seem to remember anything at all."

Frisk had a hard time wrapping his head around that. "How is that even possible?"

Chara shrugged. "I have no idea. Father and I were actually discussing it right before… you know."

It still sounded completely insane and impossible, but if Chara and Asriel were so adamant about it, then it must have been true. "Well, then. I guess we better talk to Sans?"

"I could never get him to say anything about it," Asriel said. "No matter what I did, he hardly even acknowledged it, but I'm sure he'll do it for you, Frisk."

"Alright, I'll call him now."

Frisk dialed Sans's number… only to be greeted by his prank voicemail.

Chara groaned. "Getting serious answers from Sans. Truly, a herculean task."

"Try Papyrus?" Asriel suggested.

Frisk called Papyrus. He answered right away.

"Oh, hello, Frisk!"

"Hey, Papyrus. Do you know where Sans is?"

"Yeah, he just went to our old home."

Their old home? Back underground? "Why did he go there?"

"Something about investigating matters of time and space. He's always doing things like that. You know, when he's doing anything at all."

Huh, sounded like Sans had the same idea. "I see. Thanks, Papyrus."

"Hey, wanna hang out?" Papyrus offered. "Feels like we never see each other anymore."

"We will," Frisk promised, "but not right now. We have a lot to do."

"You're going on an adventure across time and space too? Wowie! I'd come with you, but this restaurant's not gonna run itself."

"Heh, alright. See you later."

"Bye!"

Frisk hung up.

"Well, look at Sans," Asriel said. "Actually doing stuff. That's how you know things are serious."

Chara nodded. "Yeah,  _very_ serious." She stood up "Let's go after him."

She really wanted to go? Right now? "Chara, aren't you tired?" Frisk asked.

"Exhausted," she said, "but that doesn't matter. We haven't a moment to waste."

"Maybe you should take it easy," Asriel suggested. "Today you've been burned, stabbed, strangled, and knocked unconscious, all after a whole day of school. I think you've earned some rest."

"There's no time!" Chara exclaimed. "Every second we sit here is another second closer to war! We have to give everything we've got to stop it!"

Frisk greatly admired Chara's drive. He just hoped she didn't wear herself out. "Snowdin is a long hike from here," he said. "It'll be dark by the time we get there."

"We'll spend the night there," Chara said. "Just leave a note letting Toriel know where we've gone."

It had already been a long day. Frisk wasn't looking forward to the walk, but he'd have to bear it. "Okay, I'll write the note, and we'll go."

"At least change your clothes first," Asriel requested. "You've got blood and tar all over yourself."

She did, and it was starting to smell. Chara impatiently sighed. "Fine."

"Also, we really should have a chat with Felicia before we go out again."

Good idea. Frisk didn't want Felicia to try anything like that ever again. They needed to set some ground rules.

He called her name. "Felicia."

Chara's eyes closed, and Felicia took over. "What?"

"So, hey," Asriel said. "I don't know if you know this, but killing is bad."

She folded her arms. "Not if they deserve it. Weren't you about to let me do it before Nate changed your mind?"

"Yeah, well, I have no soul. What's your excuse?"

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose dying two hundred times might make you a little bitter."

"Nora isn't the only one you would have hurt," Frisk reminded her. "You would have hurt Nate, and you would have hurt Chara. You can't just do whatever you want with Chara's body. You need to respect her."

Felicia didn't back down. "I'm not gonna apologize if that's what you're looking for."

Frisk didn't get mad easily, but Felicia was  _really_  pushing his buttons. "Don't you feel any shame? Do you not care about her? What is she to you?"

"My partner," Felicia answered.

Partner?

"Oh, uh, wow," Asriel said. "Felicia, I'm sure Chara is flattered, but I believe she already has that kind of relationship with Frisk."

She sighed. "Not like  _that_ , you moron."

"Oh, right. I knew that."

"What  _do_ you mean?" Frisk asked.

"Simple, really," Felicia replied. "We're stuck together, but we'll make the best of it. She'll help me kill Elizabeth and Monty, which she has wholeheartedly agreed to, by the way. Don't you dare try to stop me."

"I won't," he promised. "Like I said, I'll leave that decision to you, as long as it's safe for Chara."

"Good."

"But in return, you have to promise that you won't do anything Chara doesn't want."

"Hey, that's not fair," Felicia complained. "What if  _she_  does something  _I_  don't want her to do? This may be Chara's body, but it's  _my_  soul that's keeping her alive! I deserve as much control as she does!"

This whole situation was so complicated. They needed to find a way to separate Felicia from Chara, for both of their sakes. Maybe Alphys could help. She had some experience making spirits corporeal.

Unfortunately, like Felicia said, it was her soul that was keeping Chara alive. Most likely, they were going to need another red soul, and where were they going to get Felicia a new body? Her old one was probably not preserved like Chara's, so that wasn't an option. Maybe they could grow an artificial one? Or build some kind of android? Hmm, they'd have to figure this out later.

In the meantime, Felicia was just gonna have to play nice. "Look, it's simple." Asriel said. "Just. Don't. Murder anyone. I can't believe this is a real thing we have to tell you."

Felicia grew tired of this conversation. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's quit arguing and focus on the task at hand. That's something we can agree on, isn't it?"

"I guess so, but I'm still watching you."

Felicia let Chara switch back in. "She's right about that. We've spent enough time chatting. Let's get ready and go."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Frisk asked.

"Don't worry so much. I'm fine." She turned towards her room. "I'm going to change now. Be ready to leave when I get back."

He smiled. "Hey, now. A bit bossy, don't you think?"

She wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Seriously, Frisk. We need to move."

Chara was clearly stressed out, and with everything going on, Frisk couldn't blame her. "Alright, we'll be ready."

She left for her room. Frisk placed a sheet of paper on the kitchen table and started writing the note to Toriel, letting her know they wouldn't be home for the night.

"I hate to be that guy," Asriel said as Frisk wrote, "but I told you Felicia was trouble."

"Don't be  _too_ hard on her," Frisk said. "She's been though a lot."

"I don't care. She's dangerous, and she's a threat to Chara."

Frisk sighed. "You're not wrong. Like you said, we have to keep an eye on her. Still, she's not a bad person. Just hurt."

"… hey," Asriel whispered. "You told Felicia you'd let her decide what to do with Elizabeth, but I gotta ask, what would  _you_ decide? If you had the chance, would you kill Elizabeth?"

He took another deep breath. He had dodged that question long enough. "You know what? I think I would."

Asriel looked shocked. "Really?"

He finished writing, hands clenched on the table. "Not only did she murder own daughter, she's a manipulative liar. She claimed to love Felicia,  _while_ she was plotting her death. How could anyone do that? How could anyone look someone in the eye, say they love them, and not mean it? I don't understand."

"Heh, yeah," Asriel said. "I don't understand how someone with a soul could do that."

"Not to mention what she did to everyone else. She killed Jacob too, and she tried to blame it on Flora. And when she finally won, she didn't even have the nerve to twist Jacob herself. She had to go through Nora. And what was it all for?! All that to keep monsters imprisoned?! Why?! How could she?! How could  _anyone_?!"

"Yeah, you say it!" Asriel cheered. "Get mad! Make Elizabeth rue the day she thought she could kill Felicia!"

Frisk laughed and calmed down. "I guess Felicia isn't the only one angry."

"We're all stressed, Frisk, but we're in this together."

He smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Asriel."

Chara finished changing and rejoined them. "Everything alright, Frisk?"

He was a little embarrassed. "Uh, you heard that?"

She smiled. "Felicia got a good laugh out of it. She thanks you."

Frisk smiled back. "She's welcome, then."

"Are you ready?"

He winked. "As long as you're by my side."

"Aww." She went to the coat hanger and grabbed Frisk's coat. She handed it to him. "Here, you'll need this for Snowdin."

Frisk had almost forgotten how cold Snowdin was in just his sweater. He took his coat and stored it in his dimensional box. "Thanks, Chara."

She gave him a warm kiss on the cheek. "No problem."

Frisk happily reciprocated the kiss. Even the small gestures from Chara made his heart swell. She took his hand. "Come, Frisk. We've got another monster to save."

He nodded. "Yeah, let's go find Gaster."


	33. Fun

Why did he agree to this?

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel were walking through the Underground. Well, Asriel was sitting comfortably on Chara's shoulder as usual. Frisk and Chara, on the other hand, were both exhausted. They had walked all the way to Waterfall. Sadly, the River Person wasn't there to ferry them. They were on their own. They stopped to rest near Napstablook's old house.

"Stupid human body," Chara groaned. "Why can't it just walk forever without getting tired?"

"Tell me about it," Frisk agreed.

"Man, you two are  _really_  out of shape," Asriel mocked. "Gotta do some cardio."

Chara tugged on his petals. "You wanna walk, prince?"

"I could've gotten there already," he bragged. "Just a quick hop underground, and I'm there."

Frisk smirked. "But we're already underground."

"You know what I mean!"

Chara laughed. She took out her water bottle and sipped it. "Let's try not to rest too long. We need to get there before…" She trailed off.

It didn't take Frisk long to realize why. They weren't alone. There was someone there. Some kind of monster. Looked female. She had a blue body, a big claim for a head, and folded arms. She didn't seem hostile, but what was she doing here?

The monster approached Frisk. Her arms unfolded, and her clam head opened, revealing a smiling yellow pearl. "I'm visiting Waterfall from the city," she said.

Frisk cocked his head. "You know the barrier's broken, right?"

She didn't seem to react. Something was very off about this monster. "Synchronicity…? My neighbor's daughter looks about your age."

"Synchronicity? What does that even mean?"

"Essentially, it's a meaningful coincidence," Chara said. "Synchronicity is the concept of acausal parallelism. She's saying that while there is no causal relationship between your age and her neighbor's daughter's age, it is no accident."

"… huh?"

"So, no one planned for you and this girl to be the same age, yet this person believes it is by design, that it was meant to be. An act of God, if you will."

It started to click for him. "Oh, okay. I think I get it. So, for example, it seems like a coincidence that I met you, but we were meant to be together."

"Yes!"

He was impressed. "You're smart, Chara."

"Heh, yeah I am."

The monster continued speaking to Frisk. "Her name is Suzy. I feel like you two should be friends. You have… a neighbor's blessing!"

Frisk glanced at his companions. "Do either of you know a Suzy?"

They shook their heads.

"In life's grand scheme, she might be why you came here in the first place," the monster boldly said.

"Gosh, you're really pushing Suzy hard," Asriel said. "And you say she's about Frisk's age, hmm? You want them to hook up or something?"

Frisk laughed. "Sorry, but I've already got a lovely girlfriend right here. Couldn't ask for anyone better!"

Chara smirked. "Oh, Frisk. You're really working towards something."

"Oh? Another reward?"

"Maybe," she purred sensually.

"So you never became friends with my neighbor's daughter," the monster suddenly said. "Don't despair. This world has infinite opportunities, but there's a limit to the things you can do today. Accepting this is healthy. Take my neighbor's blessing! And consider this blessing for anyone you like!"

Frisk grinned. "Thank you!" He looked at Chara. "You hear that? We have this neighbor's blessing!"

"What a relief!" she exclaimed. "I'm so happy this random stranger approves of our relationship!"

"But seriously," Asriel said, "what are you doing here? Everyone's gone. Go to the surface."

"Not knowing where I live is no issue," the monster said. "Fate finds a way."

…  _uh, what?_

Asriel huddled together with Frisk and Chara. "Should we… call someone?" he whispered. "This clam girl sounds like she could use some serious mental help."

"Probably wise," Chara whispered back.

"Wait, that sounds a little extreme," Frisk said. "I'm sure she has a good reason for being here. Let's just keep talking, maybe she can help us."

"Doubt it," Asriel replied, "but you're free to try, I guess."

Frisk looked back at the clam monster. "Hey, maybe you can help us. It just so happens that we're looking for someone. Have you seen a short skeleton around here?"

"A skeleton? Apologies, I'm afraid fate has decided I should not meet this skeleton."

"Figures," Asriel said. "He probably took one of his 'shortcuts.' She wouldn't have seen him."

Frisk had a very strange feeling about this monster. Was it possible that…? "Hey, by any chance, do you know anything about Gaster?"

The monster froze. "Gaster…?"

Yes, she knew something! "Yes, Gaster! The former Royal Scientist! We're looking for him. Can you help us find him?"

The clam girl remained frozen. She did not speak. She just stood there, with her arms upright and her head wide open.

"… uh, I think you broke her," Chara said.

Frisk waved his hand over the clam's face. "Umm, are you okay?"

The monster's body began to twitch and… flicker. The blue and yellow colors of her body faded, turning her grey all over. Her spasms grew wild as the color drained from her, and she let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

And then nothing. She was gone, without a trace.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel stood dead silent, their mouths agape. Chara slowly reached for Frisk's hand and held it, intertwining her fingers with his.

"What… was that?" Frisk breathed.

Chara breathed heavily, her heart pounding. "I don't know."

"That… that's a new one," Asriel said.

A terrible thought occurred to Frisk. "Was that my fault? Because I asked her about Gaster?"

Chara shook her head. "No, no. That can't be it. Asgore didn't disappear when I told him, nor did you. Unless… perhaps she had some kind of connection with Gaster?"

Frisk couldn't come up with another explanation for whatever they'd just seen.

Chara laughed nervously. "I guess you could say our situation has turned quite…  _ghastly_."

"Chara… she's probably dead…"

"Sorry…"

"Trying resetting?" Asriel suggested.

Yes, of course. That is, assuming he could. While trying to kill Nora, Felicia had implied that her determination may have overtaken his own. Time to find out if she was right. Frisk concentrated on resetting to the moment before they stopped to rest.

**FILE LOADED**

Frisk and the others stood outside Gerson's shop, just a short walk away from where they found the clam girl. Turned out Felicia was wrong. Frisk was still in control of the timeline. A childish part of him felt like sticking his tongue out at her, but they had a more pressing matter at hand.

They walked back to the spot, and there was no sign of the clam girl.

"She should be here," Frisk said. "Where is she?"

"Not here," Asriel said.

Frisk felt a chill in the air. What happened to her? He reset. She should have been fine, right?

_Ring! Ring!_

A noise rang out, startling Frisk. His pulse shot  _way_ up. What was that?!

_Ring! Ring!_

Oh, it was just his phone. He answered it. "Hello?"

It was a voice he never heard before. "Hello! Can I speak to G… Wait a second. Is this the wrong number?"

"Uh…"

Suddenly, music blared from Frisk's phone.

_Oh it's the wrong number!_  
_The wrong number song!  
_ _We're very very sorry that we got it wrong!_

_Oh it's the wrong number!_  
_The wrong number song!  
_ _We're very very sorry that we got it wrong!_

_Click…_

"What the hell's going on?!" Chara exclaimed.

Frisk didn't get that call last time, but he reset. If he got it now, he should have gotten it last time. What changed? Why was it different? It was as if the clam girl had been replaced by that random caller.

Even Asriel was getting creeped out. "Whoa, this is no joke."

No joke, indeed. Whatever happened to that monster, it seemed that even resets couldn't fix it. Some kind of supernatural force was active in the Underground, and they had no idea what it was.

Chara tried to calm her nerves. "We need to keep moving," she whispered. "Nothing we can do here. Best thing we can do is find Sans."

"I don't know what's going on," Asriel said, "but something tells me that  _he_ has something to do with it."

If anyone could explain what was happening, it was Sans. "Yeah, let's get to Snowdin," Frisk said.

They kept walking and reached the gap on the way to Sans's telescope. Frisk realized that the bird wasn't there to ferry them across. How were they going to get across the chasm?

Wait, what was he worried about? It was just water. He could swim. The gap wasn't that big, either. He could probably jump across it with a running start.

Asriel hopped off Chara's shoulder, with an unsettling smile on his face. "Don't worry, I've got this. Get ready!"

What was he doing? "Asriel, wait -"

A vine wrapped around Frisk's body, and it threw him across the water. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him as he soared through the air. He cleared the gap at least four times over before crashing into the ground face first. He groaned. At least he wasn't seriously injured. A moment later, Chara landed next to him, not faring much better.

Asriel sprouted from the ground next to them. Frisk got up and dusted himself off. "Was that really necessary?"

"No, but it sure was fun."

Frisk sighed and looked back at the gap. "Why didn't they just build a bridge?"

"Because the bird would've been out of a job."

"You're not the best replacement," Chara groused.

Frisk helped Chara back to her feet. "You alright?"

"Snowdin's not much further," she said. "Let's go."

Chara led the way as they passed Sans's telescope. Heh, it was still there. Frisk pointed it out. "Hey, remember that?"

"Yeah, it was hilarious," Chara said flatly. "Maybe we can admire it when people aren't getting disintegrated for no apparent reason."

Point taken, Frisk kept following Chara. They passed the telescope and walked through the hallway leading to one of the cheese rooms. He noticed a gray door on the right. Wait, was that always there? He stopped and pointed at it. "What's that?"

"That's a door," Chara informed him. "It opens and closes. Fascinating, I know."

"No, that shouldn't be there," Asriel said. "There shouldn't be a door here."

Chara's eyes widened. "Really?" She examined the door. "Hmm, well, I don't remember it. Who could have put this here? Why would someone carve out a room here after the barrier was broken?"

"Only one way to find out," Asriel said.

Frisk paused. "Hold on. Are we sure that's a good idea? It could be dangerous."

"I think a quick peak should be safe," Chara said.

Frisk wasn't sure about this, but they couldn't just ignore it. He decided it was worth a look. "Alright, just open the door, quietly. Don't go in."

Chara slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. They looked inside. The sight of it was surreal. The entire room was a featureless gray, and there was someone there, floating in the middle of the room. Who was this mystery man? He looked like a skeleton monster. There were cracks in his skull. He seemed to be staring into space, with a creepy smile. He was wearing a black suit, and there were… holes in his hands. Was this…?

"Gaster!" Chara shouted. "That's him! That's Gaster!" She ran inside the room. So much for staying outside. Frisk and Asriel ran after her, and they stood before what appeared to be Gaster.

"Gaster," Chara said, "do you remember me? I'm Chara. You used to tutor me."

He didn't seem to react. He kept staring into nothingness, his face frozen. He seemed entirely unaware of his surroundings.

"Hey! Chara's talking to you!" Asriel exclaimed.

Still no response.

Frisk reached out to touch him. "Hey."

That got a reaction. Gaster seemed surprised by Frisk's touch. He jumped upright. His eyes and mouth widened… and he faded away. Damn, did Frisk scare him off?

"Uh, sorry," Frisk apologized. "I might have…"

Asriel and Chara were gone.

Frisk frantically looked around the room. Where did they go? "Asriel? Chara?"

There was no response…

"Asriel! Chara! Where are you?!"

Frisk was all alone.

He desperately tried to rationally process what was happening. When he touched Gaster, it must have transported either him or his friends somewhere else, but where? He took another look around the room. It looked the same as before. The door was the only exit. Frisk took a deep breath and opened it.

He was not in Waterfall anymore.

Outside was a bustling city of monsters. Frisk stepped out the door, and found himself in the middle of New Home.

What was this? New Home was empty, wasn't it? Frisk had just passed by it. No one was there, but suddenly he was surrounded by monsters everywhere. Thousands of them walked the streets going about their business. This didn't make any sense. It was as if the barrier had never been broken. How was this possible?!

_You're going on an adventure across time and space too? Wowie!_

God, was he… in another timeline?

He had to get out of here. He had to get back to his own timeline, back to Asriel and Chara. He looked back towards the door he came in from, but it was gone. In its place was a standard apartment building, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Frisk tried to stay calm and think his way out of this. There had to be an exit somewhere. He just had to keep looking. Frisk scanned the area. He had only seen New Home from the path to Asgore's castle. He had never been in the city proper before. It was as crowded as the monsters said. Over a hundred thousand monsters were crammed into a relatively small area. It rivaled some of the humans' largest cities. For a race trapped under a mountain, it was pretty impressive.

On a darker note, Frisk noticed there were a lot more Royal Guards than he remembered. Monsters clad in purple armor seemed to patrol every street. He had a bad feeling about this…

In the crowds, he noticed a couple familiar faces. Two Royal Guards were sitting on a bench, eating nice cream cones together. It was Royal Guards 01 and 02. Frisk smiled and approached them. Surely, they could help him figure out where he was.

01 saw him. "Oh, hey! 02, look who it is! It's the -"

02 shushed his lover, with a gravely serious tone. "Not so loud…"

"Right…"

Well, they remembered him, and they seemed happy to see him, but something was clearly off. "Uh, hey," Frisk greeted.

"You shouldn't have come back," 02 whispered.

That only raised more questions for Frisk. "Why not?"

"Like, Undyne is really mad at you," 01 answered. " _Really_ mad. They say you killed Toriel and Asgore, but we know you'd never do that. I'm sure this all some kind of horrible misunderstanding."

Toriel and Asgore were… dead? And people thought  _he_  killed them? Frisk shook his head. "No, I would never…"

"So we told Undyne," 02 said. "She wouldn't believe us. As soon as the spiders reported Toriel's death in the Ruins, Undyne was convinced you were a heartless murderer, even though you never harmed anyone else, including Undyne herself. You even gave her that cup of water after she collapsed in Hotland, but nothing would change her mind."

"So, like, she took over," 01 said. "She expanded the Royal Guard, and since the six human souls disappeared, she's looking for a new way to break the barrier, and when she does, she'll… like…"

"… wage war with humanity," 02 finished. "And the first thing she'll do is take her army, and personally hunt you down."

Frisk took a deep, shaky breath. Undyne really hated him that much? Because he – well, another version of himself – killed Toriel and Asgore?

It wasn't hard for him to imagine how the deaths may have happened, because he had seen them before. When Toriel tried to stop Frisk from leaving the Ruins, he… killed her. He tried to talk to her, but talking didn't seem to be the solution, an irony that Chara had pointed out. He didn't see any other way, so he attacked. He didn't mean to kill her, but every hit steadily dealt more damage, until suddenly, her HP dropped all the way to zero  _way_ faster than it should have. Toriel turned to dust before him, much to his horror, as well as Chara's.

But, he reset, and he managed to reason with her by simply standing there and doing nothing - Heh, Sans would've been proud. If Toriel was dead here, this had to be a different timeline. Another Frisk killed Toriel, and for whatever reason, he did not reset. He also either killed Asgore personally or let him stay dead when Flowey killed him. Then, he apparently went back home, putting the Underground behind him. Whoever this other Frisk was, it wasn't him.

Still, Frisk was shocked just how different everything was. The Underground militarized, preparing for war with humanity. Sure, it was Asgore's plan too, but judging by all the Royal Guards around, Undyne was clearly  _much_ more serious about it. If she got Frisk's soul, she would likely put it to use immediately. He had to be careful.

"What  _are_ you doing here, anyway?" 01 asked.

What  _was_  he doing here? He couldn't tell them he'd come from another world. Think, why would he come back?

"I just wanted to see my friends again," Frisk improvised.

"Foolish," 02 muttered.

"Uh, yeah, you should probably hide," 01 warned. "If the other guards catch you, they'll be all over you."

"Assuming they haven't spotted you already."

Right… he was not in a very secluded area. All kinds of monsters were walking right by him. It was a miracle he hadn't already caused a panic. He checked his surroundings, and he caught someone staring at him from across the street. It was… the Mad Dummy? They were wearing a spiked Royal Guard helmet. The Mad Dummy had joined the Royal Guard?

"YOU!"

The Mad Dummy shouted at Frisk, startling the crowd. They all turned and realized a human was among them. This was bad…

The dummy flew towards Frisk. "Well, well! Look who came crawling back!"

"It's a human," someone in the crowd murmured.

"Not just any human,  _the_ human."

"The one who killed our king?"

"How dare it come back here!"

Frisk gulped. "Uh… hi?"

"Hi?!" the Mad Dummy screamed. "After all you've done, that's all you can say?! You think you can just come back and act all friendly after murdering two people?! Not to mention the things you've done to my cousins! Tricking Napstablook into thinking they were your friend, and humiliating Mettaton on live television!" The pieces of the dummy broke apart and flew around wildly. "Despicable. Despicable! DESPICABLE HUMAN! I'll show you what happens when you mess with my family! RAAAGH!"

The Mad Dummy charged at Frisk headfirst, attempting to impale him with their spiked helmet. Frisk narrowly jumped out of the way and felt the dummy dash by him with a swift gust of wind. Even if he wanted to fight back, the Mad Dummy was immune to physical attacks.

"Stop!" Frisk cried. "I'm not here to hurt anyone!"

The pieces of the dummy flailed around faster than Frisk could track. "Kill the human! Call the Empress! Our day of salvation is at hand!"

More guards approached. Frisk had to get out of the city. If he didn't, he was dead. He sprinted through the crowds of terrified monsters as the Royal Guard chased him. He dashed around from corner to corner, trying to break his pursers' line of sight.

Unfortunately, the Mad Dummy was faster. They flew in front of Frisk. "Ha! It's just like you to run away! Well, human! Guess what? I've been training since we've last met, and this time..."

Frisk was surrounded by dozens of energy knives. It almost put Chara to shame.

"I've got more knives!"

The knives rained down towards Frisk. He dodged each one with practiced motions as he kept running, slipping by the Mad Dummy. Good thing he was used to avoiding magic attacks, or he would have been skewered. In the distance, he saw the elevator leading to the Core. He headed towards it.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Frisk continued to outrun the rest of the Guard, running around every armor-clad monster in his path as well as avoiding the constant barrage of knives from the Mad Dummy, but it wasn't easy. Frisk was quickly growing tired. His breaths grew heavier. He had to get away quickly, or they would catch him. He couldn't die here. He had to get back home. The elevator was getting closer. Just a little more…

A blue spear came crashing down from above, landing right in front of Frisk. It shattered the stone street as it landed. It wasn't long before Frisk saw the one who threw it. Her face was covered by her silver helmet, but Frisk knew exactly who it was. Undyne approached him.

Frisk stopped. The rest of the Royal Guard formed a ring around him and Undyne.

Undyne brandished another spear, twirling it gracefully before pointing it menacingly at Frisk. "Foolish human. I don't know why you've come back, but now you're dead!"

"Undyne, don't do this," Frisk pleaded. "I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"Spare me your lies, human! You murdered our king and queen! And don't try to tell me it was self-defense! You killed them because you wanted to, because it was  _fun_ for you. Do you think it was fun when we found out that our king and queen were dead? Toriel, who only wanted to take care of you, is dead, because of the whims of a single human."

That… that wasn't fair! If Frisk hadn't had the power to reset, he would have  _died_ Underground. Resolving every conflict without fighting was not as easy as just destroying every monster who attacked him, and Undyne dared to accuse him of killing for fun?!

That said, Frisk truly felt bad that this world's Toriel and Asgore had died. Why hadn't the Frisk of this world reset? Could he not reset? Was he even Frisk at all? Or was he a completely different person? No, they recognized him. It was a Frisk, but why was he so different? Frisk would  _never_ have let Toriel stay dead, and he never would have been satisfied with this outcome.

In any case, he had to convince Undyne that she was wrong about him. He had to explain what really happened to Asgore and Toriel. Unfortunately, saying a flower came out of nowhere and killed Asgore probably wouldn't hold up. Frisk had to think. What would've happened if Flowey hadn't intervened?

"I'm sorry Asgore's dead," Frisk said. "I didn't kill him, but -"

"I don't care!"

A spear pierced through Frisk's shoulder, burning his skin. Frisk cried out in pain and clutched his wound while Undyne moved closer, staring at him hatefully. "That was for Toriel."

Undyne pulled back her fist, and she struck Frisk in the stomach with the force of a monster strong enough to suplex boulders. The impact sent Frisk reeling. He collapsed on all fours and coughed up blood, splattering red over the stone street. His heart raced as he felt himself grow dizzy from pain and fear.

"And that was for Asgore!"

With great effort, Frisk resisted the pain and got back up, "It was an accident, I swear."

Undyne wasn't interested at all in Frisk's pleas for mercy. "Human, you're going to die today. The least you can do is die with some dignity."

This wasn't right. This was wrong. How could Undyne be so cruel? They were supposed to be friends. Was this it? Was he going to die here? Far away from home, in a whole different world? What happened to Asriel and Chara? Were they out there looking for him, or were they also trapped in other worlds?

No, no. It was fine. He could reset! He could take himself back home, like none of this ever happened! Frisk closed his eyes and concentrated…

**LOAD FAILED**

_No!_

He couldn't reach his save file. He was trapped in this world, with no escape.

Oh, he was so  _stupid_! This was his fault! He should never have touched Gaster! What did he expect would happen after touching a being erased from history itself? He should have known better! Now, he was all alone, and he was going to…

Undyne aimed her spear at Frisk's chest, and she charged at him.

No, he couldn't die here. He wasn't going to die here. He thought of the Undyne he knew, a strong and tough heroine who never gave up, who always protected her friends. He thought of his friends. Toriel, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Asriel… Chara. He had to survive, for them.

Just in time, Frisk sidestepped Undyne's attack and struck her head with his baton. "You're gonna have to try harder than that!"

Undyne staggered and held her head. Enraged, she stomped on her foot on the ground. "That's my line!"

Frisk glanced around the ring of Royal Guards surrounding them. He had to break free somehow. He spotted 01 and 02. That was it. That was his opening, and as luck would have it, they were standing between him and the elevator. Frisk dashed through them. They let him pass.

"Quit running away, you coward!"

Behind him, 01 and 02 blocked Undyne as Frisk ran away. He heard Undyne yell at them, calling them traitors. Frisk didn't have time to stop. He kept running. The elevator wasn't much further.

While Undyne may have been slowed, the Mad Dummy was still hot on his trail, flying over him like an attack helicopter. They fired more knives at him, laughing like a manic. "AHAHAHA! You can't escape!"

As determined as he was, Frisk's body was wearing out. More than a few knives hit him. They tore his shirt and left searing marks on his skin. One pierced through his ribcage, hurting him enough to tear open his skin, making him bleed. The pain was burning, but he didn't stop. He ran with all his strength.

Finally, Frisk reached the elevator and called it. His luck continued to hold up, the elevator was already on his floor. He went inside and immediately shut the door. He heard the Mad Dummy crash against it as soon as it closed.

"Hey! I'm not done with you! Come…"

Their voice faded out as the elevator descended.

This elevator was as slow as he remembered. Frisk took the chance to catch his breath, while putting pressure on his bleeding wound. He still couldn't believe Undyne wanted him dead this badly; it was even worse than when they first met. The loss of Asgore must have hit her hard, and with Toriel dead, who could blame her for thinking Frisk was responsible? For all he knew, it  _was_ Frisk. Anything was possible in this world.

He didn't want to be stuck here. He wanted to get home, back to his own world. He… he wished Chara were here, even if just in her spirit form. He wanted Chara to encourage him, tell him to 'stay determined,' or make him laugh with her wonderful sense of humor. He had to get back to her, but for now, he needed to survive on his own.

The elevator reached the Core and opened. Frisk stepped into the hall… and he heard a familiar voice.

"Howdy, again!"

Asriel swung down from above, landing on the metal floor.

Frisk was overjoyed to see him. "Asriel!"

He was shocked to hear that name. "Asriel…? H-how do you know that name?"

Oh, it wasn't  _his_ Asriel…

Asriel stared at him hopefully. "Chara…? Is that you?"

Oh, no. Not this again. Frisk had to correct him quickly. "Sorry, I'm not Chara. My name's Frisk."

"If you're not Chara, then how do you know my true name?"

"it's a long story." Frisk heard the elevator go back up. "No time to explain."

Asriel blocked the door with a thick wall of vines. "We've got plenty of time."

What could he tell him? Would he believe the truth? Maybe if…

"Uh, hey, do you remember Gaster?"

He was surprised again. "You know Gaster?"

"Yeah, this might sound hard to believe, but I'm actually not the same Frisk you met. Gaster was scattered across time and space, and because of him, I ended up here from another timeline."

"… golly, you weren't kidding," Asriel said. "That's  _very_ hard to believe. Though, I do remember Sans mentioning something about other timelines, and you know Gaster, so maybe it's not  _entirely_ impossible. Well, either way, this could be interesting."

Frisk smiled. "Yes, I'm sure it will. I need to find a way back to my world. Can you help me?"

"Can't say I have much experience with that stuff, but I guess Sans might know something."

"Yes, Sans! I'm sure he can help! Help me get to him!"

"Gosh, awfully demanding, aren't ya? What's in it for me?"

Right, this Asriel wasn't going to do anything out of the kindness of his nonexistent heart. Frisk had to make it worth his while. Fortunately, he had some information he would want to hear.

"If you help me," Frisk said, "I'll tell you where Chara is."

Asriel's eyes widened. "You… you're bluffing."

"I know how much she means to you. I know she talked you into absorbing her soul. I know when you got to the village, she wanted you to use your full power, but you resisted. Clutching Chara's body, you went back home, where your dust scattered across Asgore's garden. But, despite everything that happened, you never stopped caring about her. Even now, without your soul, you want to see her again more than anything."

Asriel stood silently for a while… and then he thrust a sharp thorn at Frisk's neck. "You idiot! There are other ways to make you talk, you know."

"I don't know about your Frisk," he said, "but I'm a  _very_ stubborn person. It took a few resets, but no matter what happened, I never gave up until the barrier was broken."

"You… you broke the barrier?"

He smiled. "Technically, you did, but I suppose I helped."

Asriel retracted his thorn. "Well, Frisk, you're either an amazing person or an incredible liar. Hopefully Sans can figure out which one."

Yes! Asriel was on his side! "Thank you! Let's get to Sans!"

"Yay, Smiley Trashbag. My favorite." He sighed. "Come on."

"Right behind you!" Frisk tried to walk, but that quickly turned into a limp as his wound continued to bleed, dripping onto the metal floor beneath his feet.

Asriel stopped him. "Whoa, there. I'm no human, but I know if you don't do something about that wound, you're not gonna make it to Snowdin."

Frisk had some healing items in his dimensional box. He took out his phone, only to realize there was no signal. His phone couldn't connect to the network, which meant he couldn't access his dimensional box.

"Well, that sucks," Asriel said, "but assuming you've been telling the truth, it makes sense. I doubt that thing has an Undernet data plan."

Oh, right. That made sense. His phone was designed for a whole different world. It was unlikely that it'd be compatible with anything here. Different encoding or something like that.

His wound was still bleeding. How was he going to heal it now? "Asriel, do you have anything?"

"You're just gonna have to keep pressure on it," he said. "We'll look for something on the way."

Okay, he'd just have to hold out. Using his arm as a bandage, Frisk walked with Asriel through the corridors of the Core. While they walked, Frisk took the opportunity to get more information on this world. "So, about this world's Frisk, why did he kill Toriel? Could he not reset?"

"Oh, he could reset," Asriel confirmed, "but he never did, not even when he died. I had to reset for him. As for why he killed Toriel, well, I don't think he did it on purpose, but even that didn't make him reset. I even gave him a hint by telling him it wasn't like he could 'go back and change fate.' Seems like he had some kind of moral objection to resetting. Pathetic, if you ask me."

Hmm, so this other Frisk refused to reset. That was actually kind of noble, except that it worked out horribly for the Underground. Just a few different decisions, and the outcome was wildly different. Frisk had heard of this theory, the 'butterfly effect,' but seeing it in action was something else entirely. Before coming here, he never thought he'd change the world so much.

"You said the barrier was broken in your world?" Asriel asked. "How's that working out?"

"It… could be better," Frisk answered honestly.

"Ha, I knew it. Kill or be killed, that's the law of this world."

Frisk had almost forgotten how bitter Asriel was as Flowey. "You don't mean that. I know you blame yourself for what happened, but it's not your fault. You made the right choice."

"So, it's Chara's fault?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not about whose fault it was. She was trying to help you."

"But if I made the right decision, then she made the wrong decision, and it's her fault."

"Well, it wasn't a perfect decision."

Asriel sighed. "Look, I'm sure you've already had this discussion with the other me, so let's just drop it, okay? Why don't you tell me more about your world?"

"It started out well," Frisk said. "It took some getting used to, but monsters integrated into human society smoothly, all things considered. Unfortunately, President Malcom wasn't very happy with that. He's doing everything he can to prove that monsters are too dangerous to live on the surface."

"Well, can you blame him? With just Chara's soul, I could've crushed that entire village, and then I would have become  _god_."

"But you didn't."

"But I could have."

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

'But I could."

He really was soulless. Frisk grew annoyed. "Don't you want your people to live on the surface again?"

"Sure," Asriel said, "I would  _love_ to see another Human-Monster War. Should be interesting."

Frisk didn't feel like talking anymore.

They kept moving through the Core. Last time, the Core was full of assassins hired to kill Frisk and take his soul to Mettaton, but this time, it was empty. Good, Frisk wasn't sure if he could handle a fight in his current state.

They passed through the entire Core without incident, and they reached the bridge leading to the MTT Resort. There was no other way through. This could be trouble…

"I hope you were nice to Mettaton," Asriel said. "If not, enjoy your trip straight back to Undyne."

Hopefully the other Frisk was…

"Although," Asriel said, "if things do get heated, we could always try this crazy thing called fighting back. Just a suggestion. Take it or leave it."

"No," Frisk said. "Flowey, if you kill anyone, our deal's off."

"Fine. No killing today. I can play nice."

They crossed the bridge, and Frisk opened the door to the MTT Resort. Inside, the resort was buzzing with several monsters discussing Frisk's return to the Underground. It hadn't taken long for the news to spread, and it wasn't long until they spotted him. The whole room quickly quieted down.

"Oh my God, it's them."

"It's the human."

"Should we call the Guard?"

The Underground was a lot more dangerous than last time. If they called the Guard, that was it.

Before anyone did, Mettaton himself appeared. He flew down in between Frisk and the crowd, transforming into his EX form upon landing. "Now, now! No one will harm the human! They are welcome here!"

Yes! Mettaton was protecting him! The patrons of the MTT Resort all obeyed their idol's command, leaving Frisk alone. Mettaton smiled at him. "Human, darling! You've finally graced us with an encore!"

Frisk smiled back. "Thanks, Mettaton. I owe you one."

"Nonsense, human! You're humanity's savoir! I'm sorry I doubted you!"

Humanity's savoir? Oh, right. Mettaton was opposed to Asgore's plan. When he tried to kill Frisk, he wanted to take his soul for himself so Asgore couldn't use it to destroy humanity. No doubt he was strongly opposed to Undyne's rule. Frisk could count on him.

"Though, I must say," Mettaton said, "I was not expecting you to make a return. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

He told him the same thing he told 01 and 02. "I wanted to see my friends again."

"So, you came all this way, risking your life, just to see your old pals?"

"That pretty much sums it up, yes."

"Aww, that is so sweet! I love it!"

Frisk smiled. "Though, I didn't know Undyne was still trying to kill me."

Mettaton noticed Frisk holding his wound. "Oh, dear. You're bleeding. This simply will not do. Human, come inside the burger emporium. We'll get that wound healed up right away."

That was a great relief. "Thank you."

Mettaton escorted Frisk inside the MTT Burger Emporium. As always, Burgerpants was on station, smoking a cigarette. He frantically put it out as soon as he heard Mettaton approach. "Oh, hi Boss! I wasn't smoking on the job again! No, sir!"

"Oh, Burgerpants," Mettaton called, "look who's here!"

"Oh, hey there little buddy," Burgerpants greeted. "Well, I guess you're not really a 'little' buddy anymore. You've gotten taller since we last met."

Heh, Frisk had gotten a bit older since climbing the mountain. He was fifteen now, not exactly a child anymore, especially considering everything he had been through.

"Yes, yes," Mettaton interrupted. "It is great to see the human again, but we've got a problem. The human is injured and requires healing. Get them a glamburger!"

"One glamburger, coming up." Burgerpants bent down to retrieve one. "Sequins and glue, yay." He placed it on the counter. "That'll be –"

"Don't be silly!" Mettaton said. "This one's on the house!"

Frisk eagerly took the glamburger and bit into it. He didn't care that it was made of sequins and glue. The magic somehow made it edible, and it was more than enough to heal his wounds.

Frisk finished it quickly. "Thanks," he said, "but I need to get going."

"Where to?" Mettaton asked.

"Snowdin, I need to see Sans. I need his help with something."

"Sans? That lazybones? Well, stay right here! I'll bring Sans to you!"

He would? That would probably be a lot safer than going through Hotland himself. "Really? You could do that for me?"

"Of course! Sans comes here all the time!"

Mettaton was proving to be incredibly helpful. Frisk was glad he was on his side. "That'd be great."

"I'll get him here shortly. In the meantime, you and your little friend can stay in one of our rooms."

"Thank you," Frisk said. "Really, this helps a lot."

"Don't mention it! Just rest for now."

Mettaton showed Frisk and Asriel to one of the resort's hotel rooms and let them inside. Frisk thanked him again, and he left to get Sans. Frisk jumped onto the giant bed and laid down. He needed the rest.

"Well, my job's been easy so far," Asriel said, "but you better hold your end of the bargain."

"Don't worry, I will."

"How did you end up in this world, anyway?"

"I, uh, touched Gaster," Frisk answered.

"Wait, you found him?" Asriel asked. "Where?"

"In Waterfall, in a room that didn't exist before."

"A room that didn't exist? What?"

Frisk nodded. "In between Onionsan's grotto and the room with San's telescope, a mysterious gray door appeared. We opened it, and Gaster was inside."

"Huh, and I thought I'd seen everything the Underground has to offer… Wait, 'we?' Who was with you?"

"Uh, you were, actually."

"Oh, so you were separated?"

He frowned. "Yeah, we were separated. Suddenly, and without warning. I can't even reset to get back."

"… how is this other me doing?" Asriel asked.

That was a tough question. "Well, he's still soulless," Frisk answered, "but he's trying to do better. I will tell you that he was reunited with Chara, which gave him some comfort."

"Was Chara with you too? When you found Gaster?"

"Yes, it was me, you, and Chara. In my world, the three of us are all close friends."

Oh, and Felicia, but Frisk didn't need to explain that. He hoped they were okay...

"Sounds like a nice world," Asriel mused wistfully.

Frisk felt bad for him. Even when he told him where to find Chara, it might not do him any good. This world's Frisk was beyond the barrier, so unless they found a way to break it, this Asriel might not ever see Chara again. Frisk wished there was more he could do to help.

He wondered how this other Frisk treated Chara. There was no way he loved her like he did; he probably didn't care about her at all. How did Chara feel when he abandoned the Underground? How did she feel when he let Toriel and Asgore die right in front of her? Did she demand him to reset? Or did she just kind of give up? Frisk generally didn't like resets himself, but… this was an exception.

"Anyway, any idea why that door appeared?" Asriel asked.

"Not really," Frisk answered, "but Sans probably had something to do with it. That's why I need to see him."

"Stupid skeleton."

"And that door wasn't the only thing out of place," Frisk added. "There was also –"

_Ring! Ring!_

What the?! His phone was ringing?!

"Hey, I thought you weren't getting any service," Asriel said.

He wasn't! He shouldn't have been able to receive a call! Frisk looked at his phone; the caller's ID was unknown. He didn't know what was going on, but he answered it. "Hello?"

_Oh it's the wrong number!_  
_The wrong number song!  
_ _We're very very sorry that we got it wrong!_

Frisk hung up. "I hate this. I really hate this."

Asriel didn't understand. "You hate wrong numbers?"

"That wasn't… I don't what it was! That caller shouldn't have been there! They replaced the clam girl who wanted me to meet Suzy, and… AGH!" Frisk held his head. "Everything is going crazy for no reason!"

Asriel's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, yeah. I think I see what you mean."

What did he know?! "You weren't even -"

"Frisk, you might want to look behind you…"

He turned around. There was a monster in the room. They were colorless, nothing but gray, just like the clam girl right before she disappeared. How did they get in here? Who were they? Frisk got off the bed and looked closer. The monster was covering their face with one hand, and in the other, they were holding something. It looked like a… head. It was small and colorless, and its face resembled Gaster.

The monster started speaking. "Alphys might work faster, but the old Royal Scientist, Doctor W.D. Gaster? One day, he vanished without a trace. They say he shattered across time and space. Ha Ha... how can I say so without fear? I'm holding a piece of him right here."

They handed the head to Frisk.

"Now, this fragment calls out to you. Take it, or you'll end up like us too."

Not creepy at all…

"You better take it," Asriel whispered.

Hesitantly, Frisk took the head from the mysterious monster. It stared at him with the same creepy smile Gaster had.

Frisk blinked. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

And… the monster was gone.

"I hate this," Frisk repeated.

"Speak for yourself," Asriel said. "This is the most interesting thing that's happened since last time you were here!"

The head – the fragment of Gaster – continued to stare at Frisk with its creepy smile. It was very unsettling, to say the least. He didn't want to end up like these colorless monsters, lost to time and space.

He hoped Sans knew what to do with this thing.


	34. Not Fun

" **Everyone may think you are a good person, but this snowman knows the truth. Someday, your friends will realize your heart is as cold as my butt."**

**-Snowman**

* * *

Frisk reached out to touch Gaster. "Hey."

As soon as his hand touched him, Frisk was frozen in place, ant the color of his body gradually faded. What was happening to him?!

"Frisk!" Chara ran to him and grabbed his arm. She had to save him, before he disappeared forever. "I won't let you…!"

The colorless effect spread to Chara. Her green shirt turned gray, and then everything turned white…

When her vision returned, the room was empty. Gaster, Frisk, and Flowey were nowhere to be found.

Chara darted her head around the room. Where did they go?! "Frisk? Asriel? What happened?!"

There was no response.

Chara collapsed to her knees. How could Frisk be taken away from her so easily? What had Gaster done to him?! What had he done to Chara? She looked at her arms. The color was back, but what did it matter? Frisk and Flowey were gone.

She let out a sob. This was her fault! She should have stayed outside like Frisk told her to, but because of her recklessness, he had disappeared. In an instant, she had lost Frisk and Flowey, and she was powerless to fix it. She was a useless, stupid…

_Quit whining. I'm sure they're fine._

_H-how can you be so sure?_

_Frisk doesn't seem like the type to die so easily. I'm sure he's out there somewhere. Asriel, too. Just get out of here and look for them._

Yes… yes. She couldn't give in to despair. Frisk and Flowey were fine; she just had to find them. At any rate, she wasn't going to accomplish anything by crying in this room. Chara got up and turned back to the exit. She opened the door.

Why was she surprised when she found herself standing in a place that wasn't Waterfall?

Chara looked around. For some reason, she was in the center of New Home, the former capitol of monsterkind, now abandoned. It was so weird to see the once bustling city…

Wait, what?!

It wasn't empty. Chara saw several monsters roaming the streets. It wasn't quite as crowded as she remembered from her time underground, but how was this possible?! New Home was abandoned as soon as the barrier was broken! Why were there monsters here?

They spotted her immediately, and screams rang out.

"Oh my God! Human!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

Panic spread throughout the entire city like wildfire. Monsters all around scrambled to get away from her. Chara had absolutely no idea what was going on. Where did these people come from, and why were they so afraid of her?

Chara tried to find someone to talk to, but every single person ran away. The streets around her had completely cleared out. The monsters were desperate to flee from her as quickly as possible.

_I thought you said monsters left the Underground?_

_They did! This doesn't make sense! The barrier is broken; they have no reason to be here!_

_Maybe… the barrier wasn't broken here?_

Chara slowly started to grasp what might have happened. She hadn't simply been teleported, had she? No, she was in a different timeline, where the monsters were still trapped underground, and terrified of humans. Since the war, monsters had always feared humanity, but this was on another level. Something terrible must have happened here.

A shrill alarm sounded across the city, accompanied by an imposing robotic voice.

"Warning! Human attack! All civilians evacuate immediately. Deploying security."

Security? Not good…

A robot flew in to engage Chara. At first, she thought it was Mettaton in his standard box configuration, but it was colored white instead of gray. It had two cannons attached on its sides, and it pointed them straight at Chara. She put her hands up. "Wait, I don't want to fight."

"Sorry…" the robot said, "but we can't have a repeat of last time, so…"

That voice… was it…?

"Napstablook?!"

They retracted their cannons. "Huh? How do you know my name?"

"Uh… don't worry about it."

"Oh… okay…"

This was good. Chara couldn't imagine Napstablook hurting her. They were good friends in her world, but when did they get a robot body?

"What happened here?" Chara asked. "What did the last human do to you?"

"It was very bad," Napstablook sadly replied. "It killed so many." They let out a robotic sniffle. "Even my cousins."

It killed their cousins?! "That's horrible! I'm so sorry!"

"Th-thank you…"

"Who was this human?!"

"No one knew its name," Napstablook answered. "All I know is that it was very mean, and it was so young, about a couple years younger than you, I think."

What? No, it couldn't be…

"Describe it," Chara demanded. "What did it look like?"

"Umm… its hair was a lot like yours, but... browner, I think? Its face was usually expressionless, and it wore a blue and magenta striped shirt."

Chara felt her blood drain from her face. The human Napstablook described was… just like Frisk. How? How could Frisk…?

_Calm down,_ Felicia said.  _Remember, this is another timeline. This human may look like Frisk, but it's a different person._

But… how could  _any_ version of Frisk do such a thing?

Chara needed more information. She did her best to collect herself and looked back at Napstablook. 'How many?" she asked. "How many died?"

"Too many," they answered. "Asgore, Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus… We aren't sure about the exact number, but… at least a hundred people were turned to dust."

Her heart stopped. "A… a hundred? Over one hundred monsters, dead?"

"… yes."

How could anyone do this?! Even for a human, this was  _insane_.

Napstablook changed the subject. "Umm, sorry, but I need to take you to Alphys. She wants to talk to you."

Alphys? Was Alphys their new ruler? "Who's Alphys?"

"Our new queen," Napstablook said. "While the human attacked, she evacuated as many people as she could. She saved our lives; we are eternally grateful."

Alphys leading the Underground, Chara never would've guessed, but it did explain Napstablook's new robot body. So many lives were lost, but even this world had a glimmer of hope.

Chara nodded. "Very well. Take me to your leader."

_Really, Chara?_

_Yes, really!_

"She's in her lab right now," Napstablook said. "Follow me, I guess. Sorry if you have better things to do. I don't want you to feel like you're being forced, even though you are."

"After you."

Napstablook led Chara through New Home, heading towards the Core. All monsters in the city stayed clear of her. They were terrified of her. She couldn't blame them. How could they possibly trust humanity after everything they've done to them? They had been banished underground, only to be killed by a human anyway.

The walk to Alphys's lab was uneventful. They went through the Core and reached the MTT Resort. While Mettaton may have been dead, the building was still operational, owned by Napstablook. All kinds of monsters gathered there and did their best to remain cheerful, but people still mourned for Mettaton.

"I could never be anything like Mettaton," Napstablook said while they walked. "I'm more of a management person. I don't go on stage, but I think I do a good job keeping the business running. It's like the snail farm, just with more people."

Chara could relate. She couldn't imagine herself doing what Mettaton did, either. Standing on a stage, smiling in front of everyone. Sure, she liked to share a pun or two with friends, but that wasn't the same as entertaining a massive crowd of people. Chara could never handle all that attention.

'If only Mettaton were here," Napstablook lamented. "He'd know exactly how to lift our spirits."

Hey, there's good one. "Heh, yeah. Mettaton had a  _supernatural_ talent. He really knows how to put on a  _specter-_ cle! I'm a big  _phan-_ tom!"

Napstablook didn't get it. "Huh?"

"You know, because he was a ghost."

"Oh…"

"Ah, you have no sense of humor," Chara teased.

"Oh, I'm  _real_ funny."

She laughed. "Oh, yeah? Prove it. Tell me a joke."

Napstablook tried to think of one. "Umm… why did the skeleton want a friend?"

"Because he was  _bonely_! Come on, Blooky! Don't steal from Toriel!"

"… you knew Toriel?"

Damn it, slipped again. She needed to remember that this Napstablook was a stranger to her. "Uh, doesn't everybody?" she deflected. "Tell me another joke."

"Okay, uh… why did the human climb Mount Ebott?"

"Umm… I don't know. Why?"

"So it would fall and break its neck before killing all my friends."

… well, that was grim.

"… sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you," Napstablook said. "I know you're not the one who killed my family."

Poor Blooky. "It's alright," she said. "You have a point, though. You would've been much better off if that human had just died."

"Yes…"

They didn't say much after that. They passed through the MTT Resort and took the elevator to Hotland. With the elevator working properly, there was only one short walk left to Alphys's lab. Just a minute later, they were standing in front of the large, rectangular building.

"Alphys is in here," Napstablook said.

"I know – Uh, I mean, really? This doesn't look like a place fitting for a queen."

_Smooth, Chara._

_Shut up._

"She used to be the Royal Scientist, before King Asgore died," Napstablook explained.

"Oh, I see. Shall we go inside?"

"Well, you don't really have a choice. I'll have to kill you if you don't."

Good to know. Chara knocked on the door, and it opened. Alphys stood inside, waiting for her. Despite being a queen now, she was dressed just like usual, in a lab coat and glasses. However, she was noticeably less nervous than before, or she was better at hiding it. Either way, she carried the commanding presence a queen should have. Alphys had come a long way since they first met.

Standing beside Alphys were two of the amalgamates, Endogeny and Reaper Bird. As soon as Chara stepped inside, Endogeny ran at her and barked with hostility.

"AGH!" Chara felt a sharp pain in her head, just like when Frisk first encountered the amalgamates. There was something about them that hurt her. It felt like nails were being driven into her skull. Oh, please make it stop! Please!

"Endogeny, that's enough!" Alphys called. "This human hasn't hurt anyone yet."

Endogeny whimpered, and they walked back to Alphys's side. Chara breathed a sigh of relief as the pain subsided.

"Sorry about that," Alphys apologized. "They're just nervous, knowing what the last human did."

Chara bowed before the Queen of Monsters. "Your majesty, my sincere condolences for the tragedy you have suffered."

Alphys eyed her with suspicion. "Well, you seem a lot different from the last human who came here, but how do I know you mean what you say? What if this is some kind of trick?"

"I swear it's not, your grace. Sadly, I have no proof other than my word, but I give it with all my heart."

"You're certainly more polite. You even seem well-versed in court manners. Anytime the other human bothered to speak, it was either a threat or an insult."

"Napstablook has informed me of this human's actions. What it did to your people was barbaric, a grotesque example of human depravity. I cannot fathom how anyone could do what it has done."

Alphys straightened her glasses and stared at Chara. "Hmm… you look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Oh, no… Chara wasn't sure if being recognized was a good idea. Alphys knew what she had done to Asriel, and given that the monsters were on edge…

"That's impossible," Chara said. "This is my first time here."

"I know, but maybe I've seen you in a, uh, video? We get a lot of human media from the garbage dump. You'd be surprised how much of your trash ends up there."

"Perhaps that's it. I'm hardly famous, but who knows?"

An imaginary lightbulb flashed above Alphys's head. "Wait, I've got it! You look just like Chara, the first human who fell down here!"

"Oh, uh, that is quite the coincidence. Synchronicity, perhaps."

"Eh, I guess it doesn't really matter," Alphys said. "What I really want to know is, why are you here?"

Sans. The answer was Sans, but Chara couldn't tell her that… or could she? Alphys was the Royal Scientist, after all. Did she know about other timelines?

"Dr. Alphys, are you familiar with the existence of alternate universes?"

"Oh, of course," Alphys answered. "I've done lots of research on that subject, but what does that have to do with my question?"

To hell with it. "You may find this hard to believe, but I am not from this world. I come from one of those other timelines. You said I look like Chara. Well, that's because I am Chara, just not the same one your Asgore and Toriel knew."

Alphys's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… you  _are_  Chara?"

"From another timeline," she emphasized.

"U-uh, assuming I believe you, how is that possible? We were never able to figure out how to travel between timelines."

"I am not entirely certain myself. I did not come to this world intentionally. All I know is that I came into contact with a being scattered across time and space, and here I am. My only wish is to return home, back to my own timeline."

Alphys pondered this. "Hmm… I once tried to help Sans work on a machine related to this, but neither of us could fix it. I don't know why, but he seemed really upset about that. I felt bad that I couldn't help him."

A machine that Sans tried to fix? That sounded exactly like what Chara needed. "Where is this machine?"

"In Sans's basement. You think that's what brought you here?"

"Yes, I believe that's exactly why I'm here." She bowed again. "Thank you for the information. I shall find this machine, and I'll hopefully be on my way."

Chara turned to leave, but Alphys stopped her. "Wait! I can't let you go so easily! What if you're lying? What if you're planning to kill my people?"

"I already gave you my word," Chara replied. "I shall not harm a single monster."

Alphys's eyes were full of sorrow. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the one I regret most of all? Not killing that human when I had the chance. If I let you leave, there's no telling what you could do."

Well, she wasn't wrong. If Chara wanted to, she could slaughter so many of the monsters here, and every kill would make her stronger. Alphys was wise to be cautious.

Why did the human attack, anyway? What was its motive? Was it a sadistic thrill seeker? Was it trying to cleanse the world of monsters? Or, perhaps it desired power and control?

"I know this may be difficult," Chara said, "but what do you know about that murderer? Why did it kill so many of you?"

"This was no ordinary human. It had incredible strength, so much that we believed it was a threat to the whole world."

A threat to the whole world? Chara didn't like where this was going.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Chara asked, despite knowing the answer. "I understand it killed a lot of monsters, but what could a single human do against all of humanity?"

"It'll be easier to show you," Alphys said. "Reaper Bird…"

The amalgamate nodded and went to Alphys's computer. They turned on the lab's big screen for Chara to see, displaying a recording of the human's attack.

"This may be… disturbing," Alphys warned.

Chara's worst fears were confirmed. It… it was Frisk, or it at least looked like him. He stood over a bridge in Waterfall. His face was devoid of emotion, just a cold, dead stare. His hands were holding the plastic knife he had found in the Ruins, and… they were covered in dust. Chara's stomach clenched. The remains of dead monsters, all over Frisk's hands. N-no, this… this couldn't be real. Frisk wouldn't do this.

He walked over the bridge, and someone called out to him from behind. It was Monster Kid. She approached Frisk, asking if it was true that he'd hurt so many people. Frisk didn't respond. He just stared off the edge of the bridge, with his back to the camera.

"Yo… why won't you answer me? A… a… and what's with that weird expression…?"

Suddenly, Frisk turned towards Monster Kid and approached her, threateningly.

Monster Kid was terrified. It looked like her heart was going to pound out of her chest, but she held her ground. Trembling in fear, she told Frisk that if he were going to hurt anyone else, he'd have to get through her, first. Frisk wasn't intimidated by the armless monster. He moved closer.

_Frisk, this isn't you… Don't do it…_

Frisk raised his dust-covered knife, ready to strike the innocent child. Chara reached out to the screen. "Frisk, no!"

He swung his knife at the child, only for someone else to jump in and take the blow. It was Undyne. With just one strike, she was gravely wounded. Monster Kid stared at her in horror.

"Undyne... You're... You're hurt..."

"Hurt? It's nothing," Undyne lied. "Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?

"Undyne... I..."

"I'll take care of this! Get out of here!"

With a mixture of guilt and fear on her face, Monster Kid obeyed Undyne and ran away.

With Monster Kid safely escaped, Undyne closed her eyes and smiled. "Heh... 'It's nothing...' No... s-somehow, with just one hit... I'm already... Already..."

"Just one hit?!" Chara exclaimed. "How? She's Undyne! Even a human shouldn't be able to kill her so easily!"

Alphys was holding back tears. "No, she doesn't go down without a fight."

"Damn it," Undyne cursed. "Papyrus... Alphys... Asgore... Just like that, I... I've failed you."

She closed her eyes, and her body began to dissolve into dust. It looked like it was over, but then it... pulled itself back together, as if it refused to die.

"No," Undyne said. "My body... It feels like it's splitting apart. Like any instant... I'll scatter into a million pieces. But... deep, deep in my soul, there's a burning feeling I can't describe. A burning feeling that WON'T let me die.

"This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it? If you get past me, you'll... you'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters... Humans... Everyone... Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant."

Everyone vanquished in an instant? Chara thought it couldn't get any worse, but she was wrong. It wasn't Frisk, was it? He wasn't strong enough to destroy humanity, not by himself. No, it was her, Chara.

_Wait, how does she know that?_ Felicia wondered.  _As far as she's concerned, it's just an insane human. How does she know it's a demon?_

That was the least of Chara's concerns at the moment.

"Right now," Undyne said, "everyone in the world... I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have ONE goal. To defeat YOU. Human. No, WHATEVER you are. For the sake of the whole world... I, Undyne, will strike you down!"

Undyne's form changed. Thick armor surrounded her, and her left eye glimmered with power. She was a heroine reformed by her own determination to save Earth. She charged at the demon, and they fought.

The battle was intense. Undyne fought with even more strength than ever before. Her spears surrounded the demon and raced towards it at dizzying speeds. However, the demon was just as fast. This may not have been its first time fighting her. It skillfully dodged past Undyne's spears and struck her with its knife. It wasn't enough to kill her instantly, but it was enough to hurt her.

Chara couldn't watch anymore, not when she knew what the outcome would be. "Th-that's enough…"

_What? No, I want to see._

_Please, I've seen enough..._

_This is exactly what we came for, is it not?_

_But…_

_We will watch this._

Before Alphys could stop the recording, Felicia took control of Chara's body. "Wait, no. I need to see this."

"A-are you sure?" Alphys asked. She sounded like she'd had enough herself.

"Yes, keep going."

Felicia watched the battle continue, forcing Chara to watch as well. Undyne fought bravely, but in the end, she was defeated. She sustained blow after blow until finally, Undyne's body started to collapse. "Damn it... So even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?"

Despite being mortally wounded, she laughed. "If you... If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've... Got my friends behind me. Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you... And if anything went wrong, she would... evacuate everyone. By now she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the six human SOULs." Her body started to melt. "And with that power... This world will live on...!"

Undyne's body scattered to dust. The demon stared at her remains emotionlessly, with neither joy in victory nor remorse for its sins. It wiped the dust off its knife, and it moved on to its next victim.

Alphys shed a tear for Undyne's death. It probably never got easier, knowing she was gone.

"So, that's it, then?" Felicia asked. "You called Asgore, had him absorb the souls and kill this murderer?"

Alphys frowned. "Not exactly. I did call Asgore, but he did not absorb the souls."

Felicia was shocked. "What? Why the hell not? You're right, that was no ordinary human, but it wasn't at full power yet. With the strength of six human souls, Asgore should have been able to crush it! No problem!"

"I don't really know why he didn't. Maybe he was afraid. If he absorbed the souls and killed the human, that would have given him his seventh soul, which would have meant war with humanity."

"So he just sat there and did  _nothing_?! Because he was  _scared_?! What a useless coward!"

Alphys was startled by her outburst. "H-hey, you can't be too hard on him. No sane monster would ever want to absorb a human soul."

"How does that justify letting a hundred monsters die?! He could have saved so many lives, but instead he just let that psychopath do whatever it wanted! That's unforgivable!"

"Chara, wasn't he like a father to you?"

Chara was a bit disappointed in Asgore herself, but she wasn't as angry as Felicia was. Like Alphys said, absorbing the souls would have meant war. Still, the fate of the whole world was at stake. Chara knew how he felt, but Asgore should have absorbed those souls.

"All the more reason to be angry with him," Felicia said.

Alphys was sad to hear that. "Well, if that's how you feel…"

"Then, what happened?" Felicia asked. "If Asgore didn't stop that murderer, then who did?"

"It, uh, it wasn't stopped."

"What?! You're telling me that creature is still out there?!"

"Y-yes, it left and went back to the surface."

Chara and Felicia both found that hard to believe. "Really?" Felicia asked. "It just left?"

"When it killed Mettaton, something peculiar happened. Again, it'll be easier to show you. I don't really understand it myself."

Reaper Bird clicked something on Alphys's computer, switching to a different recording. The demon was in the Core, confronted by Mettaton.

"My, my, so you've finally arrived," Mettaton said. "After our first meeting... I realized...something ghastly. You're not just a threat to monsters... but humanity, as well."

The demon silently approached while Mettaton continued his monologue. He declared that he couldn't be a star without an audience, and that there were people he wanted to protect. He told the demon that he was first created as a human eradication robot, and while his career had changed to that of an entertainer, his original functions had never been fully removed.

"He should be able to take care of this, right?" Felicia asked. "He's made of metal! That makes him practically invulnerable!"

Indeed, Mettaton's standard body was incredibly strong. Frisk couldn't have hurt him even if he wanted to. Even this demon should have had a hard time damaging it.

"Fine then!" Mettaton exclaimed. "Ready? It's showtime!"

Mettaton transformed into a form Chara had never seen before. It looked similar to his EX form, but with intimidating armor, and one of his hands was replaced with a deadly cannon. Surely, this body could do some…

Wait, if it were anything like his EX body, that meant he was vulnerable! What was he thinking? Did he forget what he was up against?

With a single whip of the empty gun, the demon effortlessly defeated Mettaton. The human eradication robot wasn't designed to fight such an enemy.

He groaned. "G... guess she should have worked more on the defenses... You may have defeated me... but... I know. I can tell from that strike, darling. You were holding back. Yes, Asgore will fall easily to you... but you won't harm humanity, will you? You aren't absolutely evil. If you were trying to be, then you messed up. And so late into the show, too. Ha… ha. At least now, I can rest easy. Knowing Alphys and the humans will live on…!"

With those final words, Mettaton exploded.

Felicia stared at the screen in disbelief. "What. The. Fuck?"

Chara seconded that statement

"What does he mean 'not absolutely evil?!'" Felicia yelled. "That  _thing_ was a deranged serial killer! And Mettaton says it wasn't evil because it didn't want to harm humanity?"

Chara wasn't sure what to make of this. If she was the demon, then she would have used her full power against the humans. Why the hell would she kill monsters, but spare humans? It didn't make sense.

"There's one more," Alphys said.

One last recording played. This time, the demon stood before Sans in the judgement hall. If what Flowey said was true, Sans was the only one left who could defeat the demon. Maybe it was futile, knowing that the demon could just reset every time it was defeated, but he had to at least try, right? He owed Papyrus that much.

"So you finally made it," Sans began.

Sans proceeded to give the demon the same speech about EXP and LOVE that he gave Frisk. He asked the demon if it had done the right thing, and he told it to take a moment and think about this. After a few seconds passed, Sans said that it didn't matter what the demon said, as long as it was honest with itself.

"Are you kidding me?!" Felicia exclaimed. "After everything it's done, I think it fucking matters what it said!"

"Though," Sans continued, "one thing about you always struck me as kind of odd. Now, I understand acting in self-defense. You were thrown into situations against your will. But… sometimes… you act like you know what's gonna happen, like you've already experienced it all before. This is an odd thing to say, but… if you have some sort of special power, isn't it your responsibility to do the right thing?"

"… yes," the demon answered.

"Ah, I see… then…"

Sans hollowed out his eyes. "Then why'd you kill my brother?"

With that, Sans was about to teleport away, but before he did, the demon put its foot down and shouted at Sans, its voice filled with venom. "I'll tell you why, Garbage Bone! I  _have_ done the right thing! After the war, the humans showed your kind mercy. They thought you would be harmless down here, but now you're just one soul away from humanity's destruction! They should have finished the job! And if  _someone_ would stop threatening to take humanity with them, I would do it myself!"

Chara felt sicker than when she ate the flowers. Now, she understood. The murders were on Frisk's hands, but… she had helped. She wanted power, and with that power, she would have…

"Who do you think you are?" Frisk ranted. "You have no right to judge me with your self-righteous bullshit. You know if Asgore gets his seventh soul, he'll use it to destroy humanity. It's not just self-defense; I have done everything I can to save  _billions_. So what if the monsters have to die? The entire species is worthless compared to all of humanity!"

God, this Frisk sounded just like Malcom… and she helped him. She  _helped_ him. She… she…

Sans shrugged. "Well, I won't try to justify what Asgore has done. The Queen left him for a reason. However, there is something ironic about all this. You're afraid of monsters destroying humanity, when you were just a few kills away from destroying  _everything_. Heh, in a weird way, I may actually have to thank that demon buddy of yours for keeping you under control. I guess deterrence really does work, even unintentionally."

Frisk clenched his fists. "Go to hell."

"Back at you."

Sans teleported away, allowing Frisk to move on and kill Asgore.

Felicia couldn't believe what she had seen. "It killed a hundred monsters, including his own brother, and Sans just  _let_   _it leave_?! That genocidal maniac deserves to die for what it's done! Why the hell did Sans let it escape?! What the fuck is wrong with him?!"

"W-well, you're not the only one upset by that," Alphys said. "When people found out, they weren't happy."

"I hope not! Sans and Asgore are both pathetic! If I were in their position, I wouldn't care how powerful the enemy is. I would choke the life from that murderer, or die trying! Sins such as these cannot go unpunished!"

"… this may sound strange," Alphys said, "but there's something odd about you. It's like at some point, you started acting like… a completely different person? At first, you carried yourself with elegance and grace, but now you're just acting really angry. I told you it would be disturbing, but this seems like something else."

Felicia realized she had messed up. "Uh, well…"

"You also seem to know this human's name. Frisk, was it? Sans mentioned Frisk had a 'demon buddy.' Do you know anything about that?"

"Umm..."

"AAAHHHHHH!" 

_Chara...?_

Chara ran away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #FeelsBadMan


	35. Keep Moving

About an hour after the meeting the weird shadow monster, Mettaton barged into Frisk's room. "Just called Sans! He'll be here in a minute!"

A minute? Frisk wouldn't be surprised if he meant that literally. He was kind of hoping he could get some more rest first. But of course, the sooner he got back, the sooner he could make sure Chara and Asriel were okay. For them, Frisk forced himself out of the giant, tantalizing bed and got up.

"Just keep sitting tight," Mettaton said. "Sans will come straight to this room."

Frisk nodded. "Thanks, Mettaton."

Mettaton smiled sweetly. "No problem! Now, there is a small favor I'd like to ask you, but I'll let that wait until you've finished your business with Sans."

"Oh, uh, okay. Anything to repay you."

"See you then!"

Mettaton left. As he continued to wait, Frisk picked up the creepy Gaster fragment. It felt cold and squishy in his hands, and it left behind a sticky, white substance similar to the amalgamates. Eww, he hoped that he wouldn't have to carry this thing for long. He put it back on the nightstand.

Now that Sans was near, a thought suddenly occurred to Frisk. Would Sans want to help him? The Frisk of this world killed Toriel. How did Sans feel when he found out that Toriel died because of the human she asked him to protect?

"Asriel," Frisk whispered, "how has Sans been doing?"

"First of all, call me Flowey," he said. "Anyway, it's hard to get a read on that guy. Even for me. But don't worry; I know from experience that it takes  _a lot_ more than a couple kills to get Smiley Trashbag going. The worst he'll do is give you his creepy face."

Frisk didn't want to think about whatever horrible things Flowey did to antagonize Sans… Yeah, it'd probably be wise to think of him as Flowey for now.

"What if he hates me?" Frisk asked. "What if he refuses to help?"

"Hey, if he really hates you, I think he'll be happy to do anything that gets you out of here as quickly as possible."

That was a good point, even if it was a bit sad.

Soon enough, the door opened, and Sans walked in. Frisk waved. "Umm, hi."

Sans seemed to stare straight into his soul. "So, you're back."

"Well, not exactly."

Sans's eye sockets lit up, like he already had an idea what he meant. "Not exactly, huh? Care to explain?"

Frisk was already getting tired of explaining this. "I'm not really the same human who came through here. I'm a different version of him, from another timeline."

"Oh, okay."

Sans. Only Sans would accept that so easily. "Are you not even a little surprised?"

"Kid, it's not nearly the most ridiculous thing I've seen.

Well, okay. Frisk supposed that seeing someone get erased from history itself would make one hard to impress.

"Although," Sans said, "I don't know everything. For instance, if you're not the same kid as before, then I know practically nothing about you."

He was about to tell Sans that he was better than this world's version of himself, but… was that fair? Who could blame him for killing Toriel? The way her HP dropped so suddenly… it was almost like the whole situation was deliberately designed for Frisk to accidently kill her. The other Frisk never meant to hurt anyone; he just refused to use resets. In a way, the other Frisk was more noble than Frisk was. He rejected his power, and because of that, humanity was doomed to face Undyne's wrath as soon as another human climbed Mount Ebott.

"You probably at least suspected this," Frisk said, "but that human possessed a special power. He could turn back time whenever he wanted, but he never used it. I'm not like him. I also had this power, and I used it to undo the deaths of Toriel and Asgore, as well as my own."

And then the barrier was broken, ending millennia of imprisonment. God, Frisk felt so bad for them. His world may not have been perfect, but it was a far better outcome than what they were stuck with.

"Interesting," Sans said, his attention diverted to Flowey. "So, what's the deal with you and Death Blossom?"

Death Blossom? A chill ran down Frisk's spine. Had Flowey killed anyone since the other Frisk left? "Flowey, don't tell me you…"

"Nah," Flowey said, "he just knows what I did."

"What? He remembers resets?"

"Nope."

"Then how does he know?"

Sans winked. "I have my ways. Anyway…"

"No murder today," Flowey promised. "Frisk and I have a deal that I can't afford to break."

"Oh, so the human has a name. This is quite the learning experience for all of us. So, Frisk, why are you here"

"I didn't mean to," Frisk said. "I just want to go home. That's all."

Sans laughed. "Funny, that's exactly what the other you wanted. He just wanted to get back to the surface."

Huh, so the other Frisk came Underground by accident. That was different from him, who climbed the mountain with the intention of freeing the monsters all along. This world's version of the surface must have been very different. Were they even aware monsters existed? Was that possible? Forgetting the war was bad enough, but how could the humans possibly forget seeing Asriel near Mount Ebott in 201X?

Well, that didn't really concern him. Like he said, he just wanted to go home. Frisk picked up the Gaster fragment and showed it to Sans. "Umm, do you know what this is?"

Frisk had never seen Sans's eyes light up so much. Not even his static smile could hide his shock when he saw it. "It… it can't be…"

Suddenly, Sans seized the fragment from Frisk's hands. He stared at it, as if struggling to believe what his eyes were showing him. "Where did you get this?"

"Uh, just now," Frisk answered. "Some kind of shadow monster gave it to me."

"They just showed up and gave it to you? Why?"

"U-uh… to help me get home, I guess. I was hoping you'd know more."

Sans kept staring at it, for quite a while. The silence grew unsettling…

"… heh… heh, heh... Kid, do you have any idea how hard I tried to find him?"

Sans had talked about this before, hadn't he? He said he had 'given up.' Is this what he had given up on? Finding Gaster? And… the others? How important were these people to him?

"I did everything I could," Sans said. "I was determined to save them, to change their fates, but it didn't matter. Eventually, I decided that all I could do was accept that Gaster and the others were gone, forever. And now, after all that, one of them just  _shows up_  and hands you a piece of him?"

Frustration filled Sans's voice. For a long time, Frisk knew something was bothering him; he just didn't know what it was. He  _seemed_ happy enough on the surface, but sometimes, Frisk wondered if he really knew Sans at all.

"I… I'm sorry," Frisk whispered. "I don't really understand what happened, but I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

Sans sighed. "Well, I suppose I should be thankful you've found this, even if it's not meant for my timeline."

Frisk felt a pit in his stomach. He had given Sans the means to put Gaster back together, except it wasn't  _his_ Gaster. This just kept getting more and more depressing.

"Don't worry, I'll help you," Sans said. "I had already given up, so even if I can't bring him back in my timeline, saving him in yours will be more than I hoped for."

Frisk truly felt bad for him. Even with the scarce details he had, he wanted to cry for him. "Th-thank you, Sans. You're a great friend."

"Hey, keep it together. We've got a job to do."

Heh, that was funny coming from Sans. Frisk nodded. "What do we do?"

"Eh, it's not hard, actually. We just take this little head to the machine in my basement, and then we wait."

"What for?"

"Someone back in your timeline needs to do the same thing, and a portal will open…. Does anyone know you're here?"

Frisk sure hoped so. "There were two people with me when it happened. Hopefully they're okay. The other version of you was close by as well."

"Good. If you got a fragment, they should get one too."

Frisk began to feel relieved. This was going to be easy from here. All he had to do was get to Sans's basement. He'd be reunited with Chara and Asriel soon, and everything was going to be fine.

He was ready. "Alright, let's go."

Sans, Flowey, and Frisk left the hotel room. Out in the hall, Mettaton stopped them. "Ah, leaving already?"

"Yeah," Frisk said. "We're going to Sans's house."

"Well, do you mind helping me out first? It's on the way, and it won't take long."

"What do you need?"

"Just wait for me by the bridge between Hotland and Waterfall."

That sounded a bit odd. "Huh? Why there?"

Mettaton giggled. "It's a surprise! You'll see!"

"Uh… okay?"

Well, he had to cross that bridge anyway. It shouldn't have been any trouble.

"Fantastic!" Mettaton exclaimed. "When you get to the bridge, just sit tight! It should only take a second!"

At was the least Frisk could do to repay him. After all, Mettaton healed his wounds and sheltered him when he could have easily turned him over to Undyne. Frisk was perfectly willing to return the favor; he just wished he'd tell him what it was.

"I'll… keep an eye out," Frisk said.

"That's all I ask! See you there!"

"See you…"

That was kind of weird, but Frisk was sure it would all make sense in the end. Frisk walked out of the MTT Resort with Flowey and Sans.

Sans was still holding the disgusting Gaster fragment. "I'll take this and go on ahead. See you at my place."

Sans and his 'shortcuts.' It was fine; Frisk didn't feel like being teleported more than necessary. Traveling through alternate realities was enough for one day. "Okay, I'll catch up."

"Bye." Sans walked into one of the alleyways by the MTT Resort, the opposite direction of Snowdin. It was like his magic was designed to screw with people.

Whatever. Flowey and Frisk kept walking. They took the elevator to Hotland. The bridge to Waterfall was just a short walk away. They reached it in no time at all. Frisk stood by the water cooler that was placed by the bridge. He hoped Mettaton wouldn't keep him waiting for long. He wasn't a fan of Hotland's heat, and he always felt paranoid that he might fall into the lava below.

"Hey, you sure you want to hang out here?" Flowey asked. "I don't think it takes a genius to realize that there's something  _very_ suspicious about Mettaton's request."

"I know, but… Mettaton's my friend. I know he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me."

"Right, just like that time he tried to kill you and take your soul. I say we keep moving."

"H-hey, he was only trying to protect humanity! He didn't want Asgore to get my soul and be forced to carry out his plan!"

Flowey scoffed. "You really are an idiot. Don't act like he didn't have any ulterior motives. It's not like he actually  _cares_ about the humans. He just wants to brainwash them into liking his stupid TV show. He's nothing more than a narcissistic sociopath."

Frisk did not appreciate that insult. "He is  _not_ a sociopath! He cares about his family, and Alphys!"

"He only cares about himself. Mark my words, Frisk. If Mettaton were in charge, anyone who didn't worship him would –"

Suddenly, a familiar pool of magical energy glowed beneath Frisk's feat. He reflexively jumped back, narrowly avoiding the spear that shot up. With his back to the bridge, Undyne approached Frisk once more. How did she know where he was?!

Undyne laughed. "Mettaton was right! Here you are, human! You thought you'd be safe in Hotland, didn't you? Well, think again! Alphys upgraded the cooling dirt on my armor! Now, I can handle the heat no problem!" She brandished a spear. "Run all you want! You've escaped for the last time!"

Mettaton… told her? What? That made absolutely no sense! Why would Mettaton turn him over to Undyne? Another Human-Monster War was the last thing he wanted!

Undyne didn't give Frisk much time to think. She howled her signature battle cry, and she threw another spear at Frisk. He dived out of the way and turned around. The bridge was his only means of escape. He ran across it as fast as he could, with Flowey riding on his shoulder.

Unfortunately, the narrow bridge gave him little room to maneuver. Undyne sent a spear flying right through Frisk's leg. The familiar sensation of burning pain flared across the wound, and Frisk fell face down on the wooden bridge. Flowey fell off his shoulder and landed in front of him. He felt the bridge vibrate as Undyne's heavy footsteps pounded on the ground. He tried to get up, but he stumbled and fell back down. He crawled forward, leaving behind a trail of blood.

"Frisk," Flowey whispered, "at this point, it really is kill or be killed."

No, no! There had to be another way! He just had to…

Undyne easily caught up to him. Frisk turned over to see Undyne pointing a bright spear down at his chest.

Growing desperate, Frisk pleaded for his life. "Undyne, you don't have to do this."

Undyne wasn't going to waste time on further words or showmanship. She gripped her spear tight and brought it down. A useless shot of adrenaline spiked through Frisk's head. The spear slowly closed in, and all Frisk could do was watch…

_Click!_

Frisk heard something pop, like a small explosion. The section of the bridge Undyne was standing on collapsed, sending her plunging into the lava below. She screamed as the hot lava burned through her armor. Not even Alphys's upgrades were enough to save her from that. With all her strength, Undyne desperately tried to swim to safety. She wildly flailed her arms though the lava, but there was no way she could make it. Her movements became slower and slower as her body succumbed to the intense heat.

But Undyne never gave up.

She just stopped moving.

From the safety of the bridge, all Frisk could do was watch. He felt a knot twist in his stomach. This… this couldn't be real. This wasn't real. Undyne couldn't just… die. Not like that.

"Frisk…"

"AAAAAAHHH!"

**LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED LOAD FAILED**

"Frisk!"

Hot, stinging, salty tears welled up in Frisk's eyes. Even though this wasn't his timeline, it broke his heart to see that happen to Undyne. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. No saving. No resetting. Nothing.

Mettaton did that, didn't he? Why? Why would he kill Undyne? How could he? Frisk trusted him. He knew he wasn't perfect, but he never thought he'd do anything like  _that_. Friends don't turn you against your other friends. The thought of being used like that sickened Frisk to the core.

Drained of determination, Frisk lied still on the bridge. Flowey wrapped vines around his arms and started dragging him to the other side. "Come on, Frisk. Don't give up because of one fish."

As if Flowey could possibly understand how he felt. Frisk just let him drag him to the sentry station on the other side of the bridge. His leg kept leaving streaks of blood as he shifted over. Flowey saw something in the stand. "Hey, look. Someone left a present for you."

Inside the station was a starfait and a handwritten letter. Flowey picked up the letter and handed it to him. Grudgingly, Frisk read it.

_Human, darling!_

_Now, I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now, but hear me out! Undyne simply had to go. Even if you survived, it was only a matter of time until some other poor human came and fell victim to her wrath, and you know what would have happened next. She was even worse than Asgore, but worry no more! Now that she's out of the way, I will take over as leader of the Underground! Under my rule, no humans will be harmed, as long as they join my fan club! Your kind can rest easy now!_

_I know Undyne's death may come as a blow to Alphys. I know how much she cared about her, but don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to her. Given some time, I'm sure she'll understand why it had to be done. Really, Undyne should have thought about her when she planned her little conquest against humanity. I know Alphys wouldn't want that. She loves all those comics and cartoons the humans make. It's truly a shame it had to come to this._

_Oh, well. It's all over now. Thanks again, human! That's twice you've saved your species from destruction. You've done your part. I'll make sure it never happens again. Maybe one day, humans and monsters will finally live peacefully again. When that happens, I'll make sure you get the credit you deserve!_

_With love,_

_Mettaton_

_P.S. Enjoy the starfait!_

Frisk finished the letter, struggling to believe what he'd just read.

"AGH!"

He ripped the letter in half. He didn't care what 'had to be done.' Undyne was his friend. She didn't deserve this. He should have saved her. Damn it! He slammed his fist against the sentry station and sobbed.

Flowey gently shook Frisk's shoulder. "Hey, uh, cut it out. We made a deal, remember? The sooner you get to Sans's place and make that portal, the sooner you can tell me where Chara is. You can mope  _after_ you've done all that, okay?"

_Chara…_

Right, this… this wasn't his reality. He had to keep moving. He had to get back home, where Undyne was still alive. Once he did, everything that happened here would be nothing more than a bad dream.

… no, that wasn't true. Even when he got home, he'd have to live knowing that someone died because of him. Undyne died because he was too stupid to see through Mettaton's plan. His thoughts bounced back and forth between anger at Mettaton and sorrow for Undyne. It didn't matter if she was from another world. The guilt was still the same.

Still, he couldn't give up.

Frisk leaned against the sentry station for support. His leg was still bleeding. He wouldn't have gotten far, if it weren't for the starfait Mettaton had left for him. He didn't want it; he didn't want to be rewarded for killing Undyne. But, he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to get anywhere, he had to swallow his pride and accept Mettaton's gift.

_I'm so sorry, Undyne._

Frisk ate the starfait, healing his leg instantly, but the hole in his heart remained.

"I don't get it," Flowey said. "She tried to murder you; why do you feel so bad for her?"

To be fair, Frisk probably wouldn't feel as bad if he didn't know the  _real_ Undyne. "It's not that simple. We're friends in my world." He wiped his eyes. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"… heh, and to think I almost mistook you for Chara. She'd never act like such a crybaby."

Chara… Frisk  _needed_ to see her again. He needed to see her precious smile. He wanted her to embrace him, kiss him, and help him forget all the horrible things that had just happened. Well, maybe he wouldn't forget, but he knew Chara would make him feel better.

He hoped Chara was doing better than he was.

* * *

Chara was alone in the garbage dump. She sat over the edge of the waterfall with her arms wrapped around her legs, staring into the abyss.

_Chara, talk to me. What's wrong?_

Did she seriously have to ask? Chara didn't answer her. It wasn't like she ever listened to her anyway.

_Chara, please. That thing wasn't you, and it wasn't Frisk, either. You would never do that._

That was a lie, and Chara knew it. If she had only been dealt a different hand of cards; she would have been exactly like the other Chara. Once she had tasted the power of a demon, she would have wanted all of it, and she would have wanted control of Frisk's soul. Forget destroying humanity, she would have destroyed  _everything_. She would have erased everything in this 'pointless' world. Humans, monsters, everyone. Nothing could be more evil.

_Please, say something! Chara, come on! Chara!_

"Chara!"

A golden flower sprouted from the water. He smiled at her. "You're back! I mean, I  _was_ listening while you were talking to that stupid lizard. I know you're technically a different Chara, but whatever! I'm sure you're pretty much the same!"

Flowey… Flowey helped…

"Now, what do you say we finish what we started? I know those weird abominations look intimidating, but don't worry! As long as we work together, I'm sure we can find a way to crush them!"

Flowey  _helped_.

He tilted his face. "Hmm? What's the matter, Chara? You're not feeling sorry for them or anything, are you? Haha, that was a joke! I know you don't care. You even killed Toriel like the useless hag she was!"

Chara's hands trembled.

"Oh, if only she knew who was  _really_ responsible for her death. Not just some random kid, but you, Chara! The child she mourned as much as her own son. She took your body with her to the Ruins and gave you a proper burial. Little did she know that would be the biggest mistake of her life! Ahahaha!"

_Shut up…_

Flowey's smile widened. "Well, that's no problem for creatures like us. We won't give them any worthless pity. Now, let's get back to it. After all, we're both murderers, aren't we?"

Chara drew her knife.

Flowey's demeanor changed immediately. He was shaking. "H-hey, why are you pointing that at me? Take it out on the monsters, not me!"

Chara stepped closer, making Flowey shake even harder. "S-stop that! This isn't funny! It's me, your best friend!"

With a scream, Chara swung her knife at Flowey. He frantically jumped out of the way. "What did I do? What did I do? I'm sorry!"

No, he wasn't sorry. Chara kept attacking, narrowly missing Flowey with every swing.

"Is this about the village?" Flowey asked. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you! I know it's my fault that we died. I should have killed everyone like you told me to, but I swear I'll never betray you again. Please, just…"

"Shut up!"

Chara landed a cut across one of Flowey's petals and clipped it. Flowey cringed painfully and instinctively fought back with a stream of energy pellets. Chara made no effort to avoid them. They all struck her in the gut, knocking her off her feet. Her back landed and splashed in the shallow water, which began to flow red with her blood.

Flowey looked down at her, still terrified. Chara dropped her knife, letting it sink into the bloody water. "What are you waiting for? Finish the job."

"Chara, what's gotten into you?"

"Kill or be killed, remember?"

"But… that… that doesn't apply to friends."

She shot him an angry glare. "Asriel was my friend."

"Ch-Chara…"

"So why haven't you killed me yet, Flowey?"

Flowey stared at her with his mouth agape. "Do you… do you not want to do this anymore?"

"Killing innocent monsters for fun? No, Flowey. I don't want to do that."

Flowey looked very surprised to hear that. "W-well, if that's really what you want. I'll stop, okay?"

Contradictory emotions stirred within Chara's heart. She felt heartbroken and enraged that Flowey would see her as such a psychopath. Was she really that horrible in his eyes? But at the same time, she knew she deserved it. He was right, that  _was_ her.

"How did you know?" Chara asked. "How did you know it was me?"

Flowey choose his words carefully. "Well… I just figured that if you ever came back… you'd be just like me, empty inside. I thought you'd be the only one who could truly understand me, like always… Do you know what it's like? Do you know how it feels to be soulless?"

To an extent, but not the same way Flowey was. Chara could feel the emotions that resonated within Frisk's soul. They weren't  _her_ feelings, but Frisk's love and compassion always comforted her, keeping her from slipping into insanity. Flowey didn't have that. He had it much worse than Chara ever did.

If Frisk hadn't been so kindhearted, however… Well, they both saw what would've happened.

"Maybe your Chara does," she answered, "but the human who awakened me was different. He was nice, and we didn't kill anyone. My Frisk is an amazing person,  _nothing_ like this world's version of him. The warmth of his soul gave me a reason to live again, even without my own soul."

Flowey was shocked again. "Wait, you didn't kill anyone?"

"Yeah, we didn't kill anyone. You know, like normal people." She laughed. "Not that I'm normal. Frisk is the only one who's different here. I'm the same."

For a while, Chara only heard the sound of running water. Flowey had no idea what to say. Instead, he looked at her wound. "U-umm, we need to patch that up. I'll be right back."

Chara lied still in the water while Flowey got her something to eat. He dug through the trash and found a half-eaten glamburger. He picked it up and brought it to her. "Don't mind the smell. It's safe."

She stared at him. Why was he helping her? Why didn't he just let her die like the evil creature she was?

Flowey laughed sadly. "Chara… I've forgotten how to feel remorse. The only thing I regret is what I let the humans do to you. It never occurred to me that you'd feel this way, but if you were really that bad, you wouldn't. You wouldn't be so miserable right now."

What did it matter? She deserved to be miserable. That was why she was sent to this timeline, to be reminded what she was.

Flowey gently held her shoulder. "I just want someone to play with. I guess the game doesn't really matter. Whatever makes you happy, that's what matters."

"Why?" Chara asked. "You don't care about me. You  _can't_ care about me."

"No, I can't care about you, but I can find you interesting. Right now, the thing that interests me most is finding a way to cheer you up."

… ha… that was almost sweet.

Flowey pressed the glamburger to Chara's face. "So don't die on me, because that wouldn't be interesting at all."

He may not have been very good with emotions, but he understood logic. Maybe that was what Chara needed. If she died here, she'd only be hurting the people who loved her all over again, even if she didn't understand why, even if she thought they were better off without her. She took the glamburger from Flowey and ate it, fully healing her wound. Her body restored, Chara picked up her knife from the water and stood back up.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I can't stay here. I have to go home. People are waiting for me."

"Am I one of those people? Well, you know what I mean."

She nodded. "Yes, I have my own Asriel to get back to, and Frisk as well."

Flowey frowned. "Can't you stay for at least a little while?"

"Well, I don't really know how to get back, so we'll have until then."

"… alright," Flowey said. "As long as it gets you out of this garbage dump, I'm… satisfied."

Chara was reminded of a joke Papyrus, of all people, made. She managed a smile. "Yeah, I've really been down in the dumps lately."

"God damn it, Chara."

"Come on, you know you liked it."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of here already."

"Agreed."

Somehow, Flowey helped Chara put herself back together once again. It was far from perfect. She still felt horrible, but Flowey had given her enough resolve to press on. She and Flowey began to make their way out of the garbage dump.

…  _I'm sorry,_ Felicia whispered.  _I've been a bad partner, haven't I?_

Well, yeah, but Chara didn't want to rub salt on the wound.  _Yes, but it's good that you realize it._

_I honestly didn't realize how much I was hurting you; I was so focused on winning that I didn't consider your feelings. I'll… try not to let it happen again. From now on, I won't force you to do anything you don't want._

Chara appreciated that, but… Felicia did deserve to have some control too. Like she said, it was her soul.

_Felicia… I'm actually glad you made me watch those videos. I had to find out at some point, right? It's good that it happened sooner rather than later._

_But you didn't want to see it, and I didn't respect that. Who am I to decide what's best for you?_

_I suppose when we have a disagreement, we'll just have to discuss it, like mature adults._

_And if we don't reach an agreement?_

Well, that was the problem, wasn't it? In the end, Felicia was the one who made every decision, whether she was forcibly taking over or allowing Chara to do what she wanted. Unless she decided to go on a deranged killing spree, Felicia was the one in control.

 _I don't know,_ Chara said,  _but I'm truly grateful that you're concerned for me. Until we find a better solution, that's all I can ask for._

…  _thank you, Chara._

_Now, let's go home._

_No arguments there._

Meeting Gaster had proven to be a nightmare. Chara had learned a dark truth, and she had no idea what horrors Frisk and Flowey may have been facing. But she knew it would end soon. It had to. All she had to do was find Sans, and he'd fix everything.

Chara walked out of the garbage dump.


	36. Redacted

" **Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same… except you don't exist?"**

* * *

Frisk reached Snowdin.

It was so cold. As much as he hated Hotland's heat, he wasn't prepared at all for Snowdin. He shivered as the frigid air blew against his bare skin through the holes in his torn-up shirt. He really could have used the coat Chara packed for him. Too bad he couldn't access his dimensional box. He just had to power through it. A little cold air was far from the worst thing he'd endured.

He just wanted to go home. That was all that mattered. Screw Gaster. He had just watched one of his friends die, by Mettaton's hand. Frisk prayed that no more drama would happen on his way home. He just wanted a simple, easy teleport, with no 'excitement' in his way.

With clenched teeth, Frisk wrapped his arms around himself. His whole body kept shivering, but Sans's house wasn't far. Just a little more…

Next thing he knew, Frisk was facing the snowy ground, caught in Flowey's vines. "Whoa, there. Stay awake, Frisk."

How was Flowey handling the cold? Didn't flowers die in winter? "How are you standing this?"

"Don't worry about it." Flowey helped him back up. "Come on, we're almost there. Really, it's right there."

Frisk looked ahead. He was right, Snowdin was in sight. Warmth was just a few more steps away. They kept moving, and finally, Frisk stood in front of Sans's door.

He knocked. "S-Sans, it's me. I'm here."

There was no response. Frisk knocked again. "Sans, please hurry! I'm freezing out here!"

As soon as Papyrus opened the door, Frisk leaped inside. He hugged the carpet. Oh, it was so warm! Finally! Frisk felt like was going to die out there.

Papyrus gasped when he saw Frisk. "Human! You're back! You came all this way to see me?"

Frisk let out an embarrassed laugh and got off the carpet. "Oh, hey Papyrus. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here long. Do you know where Sans is?"

"Oh, I think he's doing something in the basement."

Oh, yeah. Sans mentioned a basement, didn't he? Frisk never realized this house had a basement. "Where is the basement?"

"Right behind the house!" Papyrus answered.

Frisk groaned. He had to go back out in the freezing cold again? Well, he supposed he could grin and bear it for a few more seconds.

"So, I think I'm technically supposed to capture you," Papyrus said. "I am the most important Royal Guard after all. However, I think I'll let it slide just this once."

"Oh, thanks."

"In fact, Undyne told me to take this day off. She told me to stay home, and not leave until she said so. Isn't that nice of her?"

Oh, no… please don't ask…

"By the way, did you see Undyne on the way here? How's she doing? Did she try to kill you? I hate it when she does that!"

…  _why? Just, why?_

Frisk almost wished Undyne had killed him. What was he going to tell him?

"She's on vacation," Flowey said.

"She went on vacation too?!" Papyrus exclaimed. "And right when the human shows up; what a strange coincidence!"

That wasn't sarcasm.

"… yeah," Frisk said. "Crazy coincidence."

"Hey," Flowey said, "as much we'd love to stay and chat, we really have to see Sans now."

"Oh, alright. I'll let you go see my brother, but be sure to come back soon!"

Frisk couldn't bring himself to say another word to Papyrus. He turned around and went back outside. The cold suddenly didn't feel so bad anymore. He walked to the back of the house and found the basement door hidden behind it. He opened it and let himself in.

Inside the basement was a counter with four drawers. Some kind of blueprint was sitting on top of it. In the back was the machine Sans was talking about. The machine consisted of a circular platform surrounded by flux capacitors or something. Uh, yeah, Frisk was certainly no expert here. There was also a large computer console attached to the machine. The Gaster fragment was placed on top of it. Sans was there too, working on the machine. He heard them enter and turned to face them.

Sans noticed the new bloodstain on Frisk's leg. "Hmm, ran into more trouble on the way here?"

Frisk frowned. "To put it mildly…"

Sans read Frisk's expression. "Oh… I see…"

"… Undyne is dead," Frisk said quietly. "Mettaton killed her."

Sans didn't look terribly shocked to hear that. "Heh, I always figured that robot would take over if anything happened to Undyne… Oh, jeez. This is gonna get kind of disturbing, isn't it?"

Frisk didn't envy them. He'd always liked Mettaton within limits, but at this rate, they were doomed to a world where just about everything was plastered with Mettaton's face.

"You know," Sans said, "I bet things wouldn't be so bad if my brother were in charge."

Was he suggesting…? Oh, God. Frisk was so ready to leave.

"Nah," Sans said. "I'll probably just become his agent. If you can't beat'em, join'em. Right?"

"That's not much better!"

"Well, if some kind of hero manages to overthrow him, I won't complain."

Frisk sighed. "Just let me go home already. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to get involved."

"I can relate." Sans continued working on the machine, typing commands written in strange symbols. "Just wait a little longer. It'll be ready soon."

Frisk looked closer at the symbols. There was a thumbs-down, a cross, a skull and crossbones, a neutral face, a hand pointing left, another thumbs… Wait… was this…?

He pointed at the screen. "Is that wingdings?"

"You tell me."

"That's wingdings."

"Yeah, so?"

Frisk couldn't believe this. "Wingdings?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Nope."

"I  _cannot_ take you seriously right now."

"Why not?"

"Because it's freaking wingdings!"

"Yeah, and what's wrong with that? It's just another font."

"I'm pretty sure any good font needs to be  _legible_."

"It's perfectly legible; you just have to know how to read it."

"It's not even English!"

Sans made an apathetic shrug and went back to work. Frisk had to admit, it was kind of impressive that Sans could actually  _read wingdings_. Still, why wingdings? Was it a design choice Gaster made? Frisk glanced at the creepy. smiling head that was apparently a piece of Gaster. The more Frisk learned about him, the more eccentric he started to sound.

Come to think of it, Frisk still knew hardly anything about Gaster. Maybe this was a good opportunity to learn more about him. "Hey, what can you tell me about Gaster?"

"What do you wanna know?"

"Anything, really. I know he was a brilliant scientist, but what was he like?"

"Hmm… I guess you could say he was a lot like me," Sans said. "Except he was just a bit more hardworking."

"Uh, that's not saying much."

"You didn't know me back then."

Frisk supposed that was true. Losing Gaster must have hit him hard. What exactly was their relationship, anyway? "I can tell you cared about him. What was he to you?"

"He was my boss and my best friend. I guess you could say we were like family."

His boss? "Wait, you were a scientist too?"

"Yeah, is that surprising? Why do you think I have all those books on quantum physics?"

Frisk had a hard time imagining Sans as a scientist, but it made sense. He did have some kind of spacetime travel machine in his basement, after all. "Heh, alright."

Sans finished typing on the console. He picked up the Gaster fragment and handed it to Frisk. "Okay, hold this."

Damn it. Frisk picked up the gross, tiny head. It never stopped dripping. It was perpetually melting, defying the laws of physics with disgusting style.

Ugh, Frisk needed to stop complaining. Anything to get home, right? Also, would Gaster be offended if he called his fragment gross? Hmm, maybe it was kind of mean...

All right, time to focus. Frisk looked at the machine. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just wait one second…"

Exactly one second later, a glowing spiral of blue light formed on the machine's platform, the portal.

"That's it," Sans said. "Just carry Gaster through there, and you'll be home."

Frisk let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sans."

"Good luck."

It was time to leave. Frisk stepped towards the portal…

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

It was Flowey. "Aren't you forgetting something? I've held my end of the bargain; now it's your turn!"

Oh, right… Sweat formed on Frisk's forehead. Flowey might not have liked what he was about to hear…

"Chara is with Frisk," he nervously said. "The other Frisk, that is. When I landed on her grave, her essence was absorbed into my body. I have no doubt the Frisk of this world experienced the same thing."

Flowey was silent for a while, processing what Frisk had told him.

"… so, she's on the surface," Flowey said.

"Uh, yeah…"

Flowey stared at Frisk, with a predatory look in his eyes. "And if I want to go to the surface, I'll need a human soul."

Not good…

A familiar, evil smile cracked across Flowey's face. "You idiot…"

"Flowey, don't –"

Before Frisk could finish his sentence, two things happened at once. Frisk was surrounded by a circle of Flowey's pellets, and at the same time, Flowey was surrounded by Sans's blasters.

Flowey scowled with frustration. "Out of my way, Sans. What do you care what happens to this kid?"

"Hey, I  _did_ make a promise, didn't I? Besides, he's carrying a fragment of Gaster, and  _that's_ pretty important to me."

Frisk felt so powerless. There was no way he could avoid Flowey's circle attack. All he could do was try and talk his way out, but how could he reason with someone who didn't – couldn't – care about anyone?

Did he even care about himself?

"Flowey," Frisk said, "think about the other you. He'd be very angry if he found out you killed me. Chara, too."

"Why should I care about your world?" he snapped. "Do you seriously think I'm gonna risk waiting for some other human to show up? What if nobody comes? Chara will helplessly rot in that pathetic human, and there'll be nothing I can do about it!" Flowey's magic glowed brighter. "So, be a good little human and hand over that soul!"

Flowey's death circle began to close in on him. What could Frisk do? He hated being so helpless, but Sans was his only hope…

Or, maybe there was someone else. The Gaster fragment in Frisk's hands began to pulse with mysterious energy. It fired a dark, purple beam at Flowey. Flowey's magic disappeared, and he grimaced in pain. "Wh-what is this?"

Frisk didn't understand what was happening, but Flowey's eyes widened in fear. His head darted around the room, as if searching for an unseen threat. He held his head, and he let out a bloodcurdling screech. "AAAAHHH! Make it stop. Make it stop!"

Frisk shivered. What was Gaster doing to him? Tears were running down Flowey's face. Whatever it was, it was hurting him terribly.

"Ch-Chara," Flowey whimpered, "please…"

Flowey screamed again, and he ran out of the basement as fast as he could. What  _was_ that? Frisk looked down at the Gaster fragment in his hands. It was still smiling, but it looked different. It looked… satisfied.

Frisk started to wonder if bringing Gaster back was a good idea…

He looked at Sans. "Uh, what was that?"

Sans shrugged. "Beats me."

"Umm… Gaster was a good person, right?"

"Hey, it helped you, didn't it?"

"Answer the question!"

"In life, yes, but I can't speak for his fragments."

That wasn't reassuring at all. "So, basically, I could be bringing another total psycho into my world?"

"Maybe, but you don't really have a choice. If you don't take that fragment with you, there's no telling where the portal will take you."

Awesome. Frisk decided to ask something he probably should have asked sooner. "Sans, what was Gaster working on when it happened? What made him like this?"

The look in Sans's eyes made it clear that it wasn't the safest experiment. "When this is over, you can ask Gaster himself. Right now, you've gotta go through that portal."

Good point. Frisk looked back at the portal. It still looked stable, which meant someone was waiting for him. Chara, Asriel, and Sans must have been on the other side. He had to go.

Frisk stepped towards the portal, and he took one last look at this world's Sans. "Goodbye."

"Go."

With the Gaster fragment in hand, Frisk went through the portal. There was an intense flash of light, and Frisk felt his stomach clench as if he were falling. And then, he was back in Sans's basement. Sans and Flowey were there, staring at him.

Flowey… was it his Flowey? Was it Asriel?

"Welcome back," Sans said.

"Yeah, you idiot," Asriel chided. "Next time you see a creepy ghost thing,  _don't_ touch it, okay?"

It… it worked. Frisk was home. A grin spread across his face. He set the Gaster fragment down, picked up Asriel, and squeezed him in a warm hug. "Asriel!'

"H-hey, that hurts," Asriel wheezed.

Frisk let go. His happiness quickly died down when he realized who was missing. "What happened? Where's Chara?"

"Well," Asriel said, "when you touched Gaster, you became colorless just like him. Chara jumped in to save you, only to suffer the same fate. As for me, I did the smart thing and got the hell out of there. No use jumping into a fire if you're just gonna get burnt with the others."

So, Chara was also sent to another timeline. She could handle it, right? If Frisk did it, then Chara could do it, too. They just had to wait patiently. Still, that didn't stop him from worrying.

Asriel examined Frisk's torn-up, bloodstained shirt. "What happened to you? Looks like someone got you good."

Frisk frowned. "You could say that."

"What kind of world did you end up in, anyway?"

Frisk told them everything. He told them about Toriel's death, Undyne's renewed determination to kill him, Mettaton's betrayal, and the mysterious power the Gaster fragment used on Flowey.

"Eh, could've been worse," Sans said.

Maybe so, but Frisk didn't want to imagine anything even worse that watching one of his friends die.

Asriel cast an angry glare at Sans. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't decided to mess with that machine, none of this would have happened."

Sans shrugged. "Guess not."

"What exactly were you doing?" Frisk asked.

He sighed. "I don't even know. For some reason, I decided to take another crack at this machine, not that I had any reason to expect different results, but what do you know? It seems like you had some kind of effect on it, so thanks, I guess."

"If Chara doesn't come back, I'll kill you," Asriel growled. "And you know I mean that literally."

"Uh, oh. Watch out. Death Blossom's charging up."

Frisk had already seen enough fighting for one day. "Asriel, don't get mad at him. He was just trying to help Gaster. He didn't mean to put us in danger."

Asriel folded his vines. "Don't you get it? Chara could be  _dead_ , Frisk. If she doesn't make it to the portal, you'll never see her again, and it'll be all Sans's fault. Would you ever forgive him for that?"

Chara… dead? No, that was impossible.

"She'll make it back," Frisk said. "I know she will." He looked at Sans. "Is there anything we can do?"

Sans shook his head. "Our part is already done. The portal is open; it's all up to her now."

That was it, then. All Frisk could do was wait, and try not to think about whatever terrible things may have been happening to Chara.

"So, did I miss anything?" Frisk asked.

"Oh, boy, have I got a story for you," Asriel said. "You see, as soon as you and Chara vanished, I… Uh… Yeah, I've got nothing for this. I just kept walking back to Snowdin, met another colorless monster, got one of those gross Gaster heads, gave it to Sans, and watched him do his thing."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Wow, that was painfully uneventful compared to my story."

"Hey, what did you expect? This place is pretty much empty."

"Eh, I guess that's true..."

Wait, if Frisk was gone, then who controlled the timeline? "Hey, with me and Chara gone, did that make you the World Master?"

"Oh, I guess it did," Asriel said. "Yeah, control of the timeline must have fallen to me again, but don't worry, I didn't do anything."

"Ah, good. If you had been sent away too, Malcom would have gotten control."

"See? Aren't you glad I'm smart?"

"Heh, sure." He smiled. "Although, I find it very romantic how Chara rushed to save me."

"It won't be very romantic if she dies."

"… no, it wouldn't be."

Frisk looked at the portal. It was still active, waiting for Chara. He wished there was more he could do than wait and pray for her return.

All he could do was wait.

* * *

Chara walked through the Waterfall docks with Flowey. Rain was pouring down hard on her head, bringing back memoires of the time she came her with Frisk. She wished she had one of those umbrellas.

Flowey probably loved this place. Chara looked at him. "Hey, I bet you like all this rain, don't you?"

"Eh, a flower only needs so much water."

"I know you used to like that path overlooking the castle, where you can see all the stars."

"Asriel did. I just see them as the worthless imitations they are."

So much for trying to be cheerful. She sighed. "No, they're not real."

"You promised me that I'd see real stars one day. If only we had left a little later, that would have come true."

"In my world, you've seen them." Chara felt like slapping herself. Why did she say that? Flowey didn't want to hear how much better off an alternate version of himself was.

"Well, that's great for him," Flowey said.

They continued walking in silence. The only sound was the rain falling into the water surrounding the docks. Chara watched the ripples expanded as each raindrop fell into the water, and she saw a stray patch of golden flowers in the distance. Even the Underground could be a beautiful place.

While she was distracted, she bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry. I…"

It was a colorless monster, and it looked like… Monster Kid? Something was wrong with her eyes. She had no pupils, nothing but a blank white.

"Yo!" the monster cried. "You're a UmVkYWN0ZWQ= too, right?"

Huh? Chara couldn't quite make out what she said. "Sorry, I'm a what?"

The monster squinted, inspecting Chara closely. "Wait… no, you're not, but if you don't hurry, you will be. Yo, follow me!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Without further explanation, the monster turned around and ran down the docks, beckoning for Chara to follow. "Hurry up, dude!"

This monster kid seemed crazy, but if she was colorless, that meant she was connected to Gaster. Chara chased after her.

As she ran, a loud rumble roared from above. The rain was turning into a thunderstorm.

What the hell? There weren't any thunderstorms in Waterfall. It only rained due to a magic spell, why was it thundering? Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder roared simultaneously. No delay? Didn't that mean it was close?

Very close. Chara saw a bolt of hot, white lightning strike the water next to her on the left, and then another one on the right. Several more followed, striking the water all around her. One large bolt landed on the docks in front of her with a deafening clap and a brilliant flash, blinding her. Chara covered her eyes as her vision clouded with afterimages. When she recovered and reopened her eyes, a monster roughly the size of Asgore was standing in front of her, brandishing an axe.

Boaris blocked the way.

Chara knew this was trouble. Considering the events of this world, there was no doubt that this Boaris still hated humanity. In Chara's world, it wasn't until Frisk freed the monsters when his opinion on humanity changed, and after seeing what the genocidal Frisk of this world did, he must have hated humanity even more, perhaps more than Chara had.

It was clear what Boaris wanted. He wanted Chara's soul, and this time, he wanted to destroy humanity for good.

A ball of electricity charged in Boaris's right hand. "Human, I won't waste our time with pointless talk. Your soul will be mine. Goodbye."

With that, Boaris shot another column of lighting straight at Chara. The attack was fast, but not unavoidable. With a quick sidestep, Chara evaded the bolt. Lightning must have been Boaris's true specialty. He only used fire in his rampage because it was one of the most painful ways to die, but this time, his only objective was to kill.

That said, Chara was pretty sure being electrocuted to death would hurt too.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Flowey shouted. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you!"

Boaris charged up his axe for another attack. Did they really have to fight? Chara raised her hands. "Boaris, wait! It's me, Chara!"

Boaris froze. He lowered his axe and looked at Chara closely.

"… that is impossible," Boaris breathed. "Chara died long ago."

"It's me! It's kind of hard to explain how, but I swear it's me! Chara Dreemurr, daughter of Asgore and Toriel."

Boaris was taken aback for a while, but he steadied his axe. "If you were truly Chara, then you would understand what I must do. With your soul, monsters will finally be free. As for the humans, I take no regret in doing what must be done."

"Boaris, listen! We don't have to fight! Humans aren't  _that_ bad. Just give them another –"

Boaris swung his axe, aiming for Chara's neck. She leaned back and dodged the blade just in time. Boaris stomped his foot on the ground and roared a fierce battle cry. "Die, impostor!"

"What are you doing?!" Flowey yelled. "Let's get him!"

_I agree,_ Felicia said. _Just kick his ass, already._

Chara gave up on trying to talk her way out of this. She drew her knife.

_Take him down, Chara._

Chara sensed Boaris's stats. He had eighty attack and eighty defense, same as Asgore and Toriel, and unlike those two, Boaris was going to fight with all his strength. But even with all that power, he was still just a monster, and Chara had Flowey on her side. They could do this.

Boaris ran at Chara, scrapping his axe across the wooden planks before thrusting it upwards. The attack was predictable. Chara dodged it easily and punished him by stabbing her knife into his side, and Flowey quickly followed up with a burst of magic bullets. Boaris's HP dropped below ninety percent, a solid hit.

Boaris grunted and pulled himself back. He glared at Flowey. "Why are you defending this human?"

"Well, I am her brother."

"Tch, now you're just mocking me."

Chara felt the hairs on her neck rise. She jumped back and avoided another crash of lightning aimed right for her, but the clap and flash still disoriented her. Before she could recover, a ball of electricity slammed into her. Chara's entire body convulsed as an eighty-milliamp current coursed through it.

_F-F-F-FUCK!_

While Chara was writhing, Boaris followed up with a swing of his axe, hitting Chara in the side and knocking her to the ground. Pain blossomed in the spot she had been hit as she got back to her feet. She had lost eight HP.

Boaris was strong. Just two more hits like that would kill her. She had to heal. Chara cast a healing spell. "Flowey! Hold him off for a second!"

Flowey got Boaris's attention by whipping a vine on his head, and they traded blows while Chara healed herself.

Something went wrong…

Chara only regained four HP… and her maximum HP dropped to sixteen.

What?! Why the hell was she losing maximum HP? She felt a strange sensation in her hands. She looked at them… they were turning gray again.

…  _but if you don't hurry, you will be._

… was she becoming like Gaster?

The grayness covered her whole hands down to her wrists. It seemed like her body was slowly decaying, and using magic accelerated it somehow. Chara froze in terror. If she died like this, would she be forgotten like Gaster? History rewritten so everything was the same, except she never existed? She… she didn't want that. She didn't want to be forgotten.

Would Mother forget? Would Father forget? Would  _Frisk_ forget?

In the corner of her eye, Chara saw Flowey take a lightning bolt to the face. "H-hey! A little help, please?"

For a moment, Chara wondered if being erased would save Asriel, but she quickly dismissed the thought. No, it wouldn't save him. The world would somehow find a way to make him Flowey again, even without meeting Chara, just like how the Core was created without Gaster. Even erasing herself from existence couldn't save Asriel; she really was worthless.

Flowey narrowly avoided being cleaved in half by Boaris's axe. The plank Flowey was standing on just a moment before shattered. "DAMN IT, CHARA! DO SOMETHING!"

Chara snapped back to reality. Her brother needed her! Chara swallowed her fears and charged at Boaris, knife held high. Boaris saw her approach. He dug in his heels and bent his arms down to the ground, going on all fours. He charged back at her with incredible speed. He was going to ram her with his tusks!

_Dodge! Dodge!_

_Obviously!_

Chara broke off as fast as she could, just barely dodging Boaris's charge. The wooden planks splintered as he ran past her. Boaris turned around and charged at her again, this time accompanied by a burst of lightning. Chara dashed away from Boaris, but she couldn't quite avoid the electric cloud surrounding him. She took another shock, stunning her and draining three HP.

Boaris turned and charged yet again.

"Oh, quit that!"

Flowey used a well-place vine to trip Boaris as he charged. He ran right over it and fell to the floor. The splinters from the wooden docks added some extra damage to his fall.

Boaris tried to blink Chara with another flash of lightning, but she was ready for it this time. She shut her eyes tight and covered her ears as the bolt crashed down in front of her. As soon as it cleared, Chara lunged at Boaris and rapidly swung her knife, landing several good cuts all over him.

Boaris growled and knocked her back with an electric punch to the stomach. Chara lost six HP, leaving her with seven points out of sixteen.

"That's it!" Flowey surrounded Boaris with his signature circle attack. "Die!"

The circle of bullets closed in on Boaris. He didn't look too worried. He raised his hand and used a branch of lightning to cut a hole through the circle. He ran through the opening and struck Flowey with a horizontal swung of his axe, knocking him off the docks into the water, the most dangerous place he could be.

"Brother!" Chara leaped at Boaris from behind and stabbed her knife into his shoulder. He grunted, grabbed Chara off his back, and slammed her on the ground, reducing her to just three HP. Boaris raised his axe to finish her off. Chara rolled away just in time and got back up. She pulled back, getting some distance between them.

Chara darted her head around. Where was Flowey?

She heard a splash next to her. Flowey pulled himself back onto the docks. He shook the water off of himself like a dog. "Gah! Since when did this guy know how to fight?"

Good, Flowey was okay, but Chara wasn't doing so great. She felt pain all over, and her breaths were heavy. She had no choice but to heal. Chara cast her magic. She was restored to twelve HP, out of twelve HP. The colorless effect on her hands spread across her arms, up to her shoulders. Damn it, Chara didn't like this at all.

Boaris kept up the pressure with more electric magic. Balls of electricity flew at Chara from all around her. She couldn't afford many more hits. She made sure to avoid every single one. She sensed one bolt incoming directly behind her. She dashed to the side, and she almost tripped over a missing plank. The docks were getting very damaged.

"I've got an idea," Flowey said. "Your turn to keep him busy."

But… her HP… fine…

Chara cautiously approached Boaris, dodging more lightning on the way. Chara heard the wooden floor crack and splinter with every bolt. Chara closed the distance and swung her knife, which Boaris parried. He charged his axe with electricity for a counterattack. Chara hoped Flowey had a good plan.

Apparently, the plan was bombs. Chara heard two explosions, but they weren't aimed directly at Boaris. They detonated to the left and right of him, destroying the dock's supports. The wooden floor Boaris was standing on collapsed. Chara jumped back just in time while Boaris fell into the water with a large splash.

Boaris's axe was still charged, and when it fell into the water, he was shocked by his own lightning.

Flowey laughed. "Yeah! Get dunked!"

Chara couldn't help but grin. "Flowey, you're a genius!"

"We're not done yet." While Boaris was stuck in the water, Flowey dropped more bombs right on his head, dealing even more damage. Boaris's HP fell harshly as he swam back to the intact part of the docks. By the time he pulled himself out of the water, he was all the way down below ten percent of his HP.

For good measure, Chara stabbed him in the chest, dropping him below five percent. Boaris collapsed to his knees. They had won this fight.

"We win!" Flowey exclaimed. "Now, let's finish him!"

Chara looked at Boaris. Why shouldn't she kill him? She hated him. He literally made her entire world suffer, and he wanted monsters to go back to Mount Ebott.

… but in this world, he was basically the same way Chara used to be. She was confused. Did she have the right to kill him? Was it fair to kill him for what he became in another world? Especially considering what Chara herself did in this world. Could anyone be a murderer in an alternate reality?

"Yo! Don't do it!"

The colorless monster kid ran back to them. "You've already won! He can't hurt you anymore. Let's go!"

But, if she killed him, she could take his soul, and give it to Asriel…

"You don't understand," Chara said. "I need his soul. Someone deserves it more than he does."

"You can't take it," the monster kid said. "I mean, you really can't take it. His soul belongs in this world. If you try to take it with you, it won't survive."

As if on cue, Chara's maximum HP dropped to eleven. She didn't belong in this timeline, and it was slowly destroying her.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Chara couldn't take Boaris soul, but there was still little reason to spare him. At the very least, Chara could use the EXP.

… what would Frisk think if she killed him? He certainly wouldn't do it. This Boaris had done nothing worse than the likes of Undyne or Asgore.

Chara sighed, and she put her knife away. Boaris and Flowey were both shocked.

"Are you serious?!" Flowey yelled.

"Why?" Boaris asked. "Finish what you started."

Chara shook her head. "There's still hope, Boaris. Humanity has changed. You just met a bad example… a  _really_  bad example. Most of them would look back at the war with disgust, so give them another chance, okay?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel about them," Boaris said. "Don't the humans have a saying about trying the same thing and expecting a different result?"

"Yes, but they also don't give up after a single failure."

Boaris sighed. "Kill me or leave me, but do not waste my time trying to convince me the impossible."

Chara didn't see how she was going to get through to him, especially since she still kind of agreed with him. With the way human and monster souls were designed, it only seemed practical to keep them separate. Still, she didn't want to give up.

Chara turned around. "You may not believe it, but I  _will_  find a solution. One that doesn't sacrifice humans or monsters. Goodbye, Boaris." She started to walk away.

"… wait," Boaris said. "Who are you, really?"

"I told you. I am Chara."

Chara left him and continued walking down the docks. Flowey ran to her side. "You're seriously letting him live?"

"That's the idea, yes."

"But, he tried to kill you."

"He's not the first."

"… fine, whatever," Flowey said. "It's not like I  _really_ care what you do with him. I'm just surprised, that's all."

"What? Mercy is badass."

The colorless monster kid ran ahead of them. "Come on, hurry!"

Yes, she had to hurry. The grayness had spread to Chara's neck. She had to get out of this timeline before it consumed her. She hoped this kid knew what she was doing. Chara's life was in her hands… Uh, metaphorically speaking, anyway.

Chara wondered where Frisk was. Was he also in danger of being erased? She once thought Frisk would be better off if he just forgot about her, but now that it was actually possible, the thought terrified Chara. She couldn't let either of them forget each other. She had to see him again. Wherever Frisk was, Chara knew he was praying for the same thing, and she wasn't going to let him down.

Chara followed the monster.


	37. Goner

" **Yo, I thought I was a goner, haha."**

**-Monster Kid**

* * *

"Who are you, anyway?"

Chara asked this to the colorless monster kid as they walked towards Snowdin. She wanted to understand more about the person who was trying to help her, and what happened to her. The monster looked back at her with her blank eyes.

"What's your name?" Chara asked.

"My name? It's U2lzdGVyIEtpZA==."

The monster's voice became unintelligible again. It sounded like some kind of… glitch. Something had distorted her voice beyond recognition.

"Great name," Flowey said.

"Come again?" Chara asked.

She sighed. "You can call me 'Goner Kid.'"

"Goner Kid? Are you related to Monster Kid?"

"As a matter of fact, my sister is the only one who remembers me."

What? Chara remembered Monster Kid mentioning a sister, but how could this be her?

"Of all people, that dummy is the only one," Goner Kid mused. She glanced at Flowey. "Not sure why he can see me, though."

"Probably because I'm supposed to be dead," Flowey figured.

"Hold on," Chara said. "Does your sister even realize what happened to you?"

"Oh, yeah. She just likes to pretend otherwise. She believes that if she continues to act as if I'm still here, it'll bring me back one day. Our parents are convinced she's insane."

God… forgotten by her own parents. If Chara didn't hurry, she'd be next.

"How did it happen?" Chara asked.

"Fucking Gaster."

"I know, but what happened?"

"I don't really know the details," Goner Kid said. "I happened to be visiting the lab for a school project. Gaster and the other scientists were doing an experiment on their timeline machine, when suddenly everything went horribly wrong. The machine tore a hole in spacetime, sucking in everything around it. Gaster fell in first, and three of the other scientists got sucked in with him. I tried to run away, but then I… I tripped. I got sucked in too, and I was scattered across time and space, just because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Well, that sucked.

"Moral of the story," Goner Kid said, "don't do your homework, haha… That was a joke."

"I'm sorry," Chara said.

"What for? This is all Gaster's fault."

Chara wanted to protest, but she didn't know the full story. Maybe Goner Kid had a point. Still…

"I'm sure Gaster couldn't have known what would happen," Chara said.

"So what?!" Goner Kid snapped. "Yeah, I'm sure he didn't  _mean_ to get scattered across the multiverse, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened! Good scientists know how to keep their experiments  _safe_ and  _controlled_. You know, so they don't  _tear apart the fabric of reality._ "

Goner Kid was clearly not happy with Gaster…

Chara's thoughts were interrupted by another change in her stats. Her maximum HP dropped to ten points. She  _hated_ this. Losing HP was bad enough, but losing her  _capacity_ for HP was unbearable. When a number decreased, that feeling, it felt so  _wrong_. Would her HP ever go back to normal? She was halfway dead, halfway to never seeing her loved ones again.

Chara quickened her pace. "We have to hurry."

"Right!" Goner Kid tried to move faster, but then she tripped over nothing. "RnVjayE="

"Are you okay?"

Goner Kid got back up. "Don't worry about it." She picked up the pace without tripping this time. "Let's go."

Chara, Flowey, and Goner Kid kept moving through Waterfall. The temperature grew noticeably colder. They were getting close to Snowdin.

"I assume we're going to Sans's house?" Chara asked.

"Nope."

"No? Then where are we going?"

"First, you'll need a fragment of Gaster. That's where we're going."

"A fragment of Gaster?"

"Yes, a fragment of Gaster. That's the only way you'll be able to go home."

Chara didn't understand how this worked, but that's why she was here, right? She had come here to save Gaster. If this fragment of his could take her home, she'd accomplish two things at once. She needed it.

They passed the sentry station on the west entrance to Snowdin. The town was in sight. Chara stepped into the snow, and she shivered as the temperature fell dramatically. It was painfully cold. A sweater didn't cut it for temperatures below freezing. Ah, if only Frisk were there to keep her warm…

Chara looked around the town. The street was empty; it seemed that everyone had taken shelter from her. Poor things. Chara looked at Sans's house on the right, and noticed a sign that wasn't there before.

_Vacant._

She pointed at it. "Vacant? Does Sans not live there anymore?"

"Nope, he was exiled, dude."

"Exiled?! Why?"

"When people found out Sans let the human escape, they were pissed. Somehow, word was spread that Sans was actually the most powerful fighter in the Underground, and he was their best hope at stopping the murderous human."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Flowey said. "I wonder what  _awful_ person started that rumor…"

"It was his job, after all," Goner Kid said. "Capture or kill any human who enters the Underground. For failing to do this, Sans was declared a deserter of his duties as a sentry, and the people of Snowdin voted to exile him as punishment for his cowardice."

Chara was also surprised Sans just let the murderer go, but he didn't deserve exile. As strong as he was, there was only so much he could have done against an unhinged World Master. His only hope would have been for the murderer to give up, which was very difficult when dealing with a determination soul. Faced with enemies like that, it was no wonder Sans acted like he was lazy.

"Now, let's move on," Goner Kid said. "The fragment is in the forest."

Goner Kid led Chara out of the town and through Snowdin Forest. Fortunately, no one got in their way, save for the freezing cold. They went deep into the forest, close to the entrance to the Ruins. When they reached the crossroads with the first dimensional box, Goner Kid turned right towards the river.

She stopped. "It's right down here."

Here? Wasn't this the spot where that creepy fish left their fishing rod and phone number? That seemed like a strange place to find a fragment of Gaster.

Flowey seemed to agree. "Why here? There's nothing interesting here."

"It's here," Goner Kid insisted. "With her condition, Chara will be able to see it."

Chara didn't have any better leads. She stepped towards the river. Everything seemed normal. Just an unassuming riverbank, with nothing noteworthy besides the fishing rod.

"What am I supposed to do?" Chara asked.

"Look into the river," Goner Kid said. "Look very closely. Don't take your eyes off it."

Chara obeyed. She stared at her reflection in the water. Her entire face was beginning to lose its color. She really hoped Goner Kid knew what she was doing. "What am I looking for?"

Goner Kid was silent.

"Goner Kid…?"

Chara heard no words, just heavy breaths. What was she…?

"CHARA!"

Before she could react, Chara felt two spikes jab her in the back, and she fell face first into the ice-cold water. AGH! Cold! Cold! Cold! What was that? Did Goner Kid just headbutt her? What the hell was that for?! Chara reached for the ground and pulled herself out of the water.

When she emerged, she wasn't in Snowdin anymore.

Chara swiveled her head around. The snow and trees were no longer there. All she saw was a pitch-black abyss. She looked back, and even the river had disappeared. What had Goner Kid done to her?!

She called out into the abyss. "Flowey? Where are you?"

No one answered, and to make matters worse, Chara's maximum HP dropped to nine points.

What the hell?  _What the hell?!_ Where was she? All she saw was darkness. Darkness all around her, and nothing else. How was she supposed to find a Gaster fragment here?

"Flowey! Goner Kid! Somebody! Where am I?"

No one came. She was all alone. Goner Kid had betrayed her. Flowey tried to warn her, but it was too late. She was trapped, with no way out. There was nothing here, just a blank emptiness. Was this how she died? Trapped in literal nothingness, waiting for her HP to slowly drain to zero?

_Don't give up, Chara. There has to be something here. We'll find a way to escape._

… right, there had to be something here. Chara just had to find it. She ran through the darkness. Looking for something, anything. Something in this abyss would save her.

_There! Look!_

Chara kept running, and at last, she saw something. She saw a blue light glowing ahead of her. Chara ran for it. As she got closer, she saw it was some kind of console. Chara walked up to it and read the screen.

_Welcome to the sound test! Listen to all your favorites. Press Left or Right to select. Press Z to play a song._

"… what the fuck?"

After a few seconds, the screen changed. 'Sound Test' was displayed on top, and below was apparently a song called 'Happy Town.' Chara had no idea what this was about, but she had nothing better to do. She pressed 'Z' on the console's keyboard as instructed.

The console played the Happy Town song, though Chara wasn't sure if it could even be called a song. It was just short, one second loop of synthesized sound, like something from an old eight-bit game. The peaceful tune did make her think of a happy town, though.

Chara scrolled through the rest of the songs. The next song was 'Meat Factory,' another eight-bit loop with a deep, industrial tone. Next was 'Trouble Dingle,' and the one after that was called…

Chara paused.

_Gaster's Theme._

After a moment of hesitation, Chara pressed 'Z,' and the song played.

This one was  _much_ different from the others. Gaster's Theme sounded like it was taken straight out of a horror movie. The song consisted of a dark piano playing with a sinister tone. It made her think of someone creeping up on her from the cover of darkness, and she was surrounded by darkness. Uh… Chara liked Happy Town better. Let's switch back to Happy Town!

Chara scrolled to Happy Town and pressed 'Z.' Nothing happened. Chara tried again, and again. She repeatedly pressed the button, but the console appeared to be locked on Gaster's Theme. Chara's heartbeat elevated. She didn't like this.

After about thirty seconds, the song stopped, and the console displayed a new message.

_Thanks for your feedback! Be seeing you soon!_

The screen went blank. Chara thought it was over, but then the console displayed something else. Text written in Gaster's favorite typeface appeared, accompanied by a distorted, electronic sound. The text shook wildly, and one-by-one, the symbols turned into letters that Chara could read.

_ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN_

_DARK_

_DARKER_

_YET DARKER_

_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_

_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_

_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_

_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT_

_SEEMS_

_VERY_

_VERY_

_INTERESTING_

_..._

_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK_

The message ended. Darkness? What  _was_  Gaster working on? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good, and Gaster seemed way too excited about it. What he described sounded more disturbing than interesting.

Photon readings negative… the 'darkness' wasn't a metaphor. Gaster literally meant a total absence of light. What kind of power could absorb that much energy? Chara could only think of one thing, the work of a demon.

_BZZZZT!_

Chara was startled by another screeching sound from the console. Static filled the screen, and then a video was displayed. Chara did her best to catch her breath and pay attention. In the video, Gaster was sitting at a conference table in the True Lab along with Sans, Alphys, and three of his other subordinates, his 'followers' as they were called.

Back before the accident, Gaster looked good. There were no cracks in his skull, and he wore a stylish black suit. He always had the creepy holes in his hands, though. Everyone was looking at him. It seemed he had just finished explaining something important.

"I say we go for it," Sans said.

"U-uh, I'm not so sure," Alphys said. "What if we… make it mad? What if it follows us?"

"Don't worry about it," Sans said with his usual smile. "I'm sure the anomaly isn't all that bad. I think they're just unhappy. Send them to me, and I'll cheer them up in a jiffy."

"Sans… it's consumed entire timelines."

He shrugged. "Eh."

Alphys urgently looked back at Gaster. "This is too dangerous! The more we prod at this 'darkness,' the more likely it will spread to us. Let's just leave it alone."

"So we should just ignore it?" Sans challenged. "The anomaly could show up in our timeline at any moment, and when that happens, I'd like to make sure it doesn't turn into a universe-destroying demon, you know?"

"Yes, but… it's not ready yet. Ironically, we need more time."

"It is unclear how much time we have," Gaster said. "The only constant we know regarding the anomaly is that it will appear sometime after the seventh human is killed, and here in our timeline, it has been a while since the seventh human fell to Asgore. Unfortunately, the actual date of the eighth's arrival is a variable. It could take years for them to arrive, yet it may happen as soon as tomorrow."

The eighth human… that was Frisk!

"Let's hope for years!" Alphys exclaimed.

"But let's prepare for tomorrow," Sans said. "We need the machine working as soon as possible."

Alphys sighed. "I'm not even sure how we'll test this thing. Can't really use a guinea pig here."

"We'll use me, of course," Gaster said.

Shocked gasps rang out from Alphys and the three followers.

"Gaster, you can't! We can't lose you!"

"The machine is not ready for testing; surely you must be jesting."

"Let me go! I'll do it!"

Gaster calmed them down with a wave of his hand. "I appreciate the concern, but I am not afraid. I will investigate this anomaly personally."

"But why you?" Alphys asked.

Gaster smiled. "Because I want to, obviously. Not to mention I have the most…" With a snap of his fingers, Gaster summoned a row of his deadly blasters. "Persuasion."

"He has a point," one of the followers said. "Not only is he the most brilliant, but also the most powerful of us."

"With such fearsome tools, those who oppose him are fools."

"He's got this."

"Never doubt you, boss," Sans said.

Alphys still didn't like this. "Doesn't matter how strong you are. If something goes wrong with the machine, there's no telling what could happen."

Gaster was dauntless as always. "Let's make sure nothing goes wrong then."

_Ring! Ring!_

Back in reality, Chara's phone rang out of nowhere. Who was it? Unknown? Chara answered. "Hello?"

"Oh, it's the wrong number! The wrong number –"

That stupid song again. Chara hung up. Useless.

Gaster turned towards the screen. "Hmm? Is someone there?"

Chara's heart skipped a beat. That had to be a coincidence, right? There was no way he heard her phone go off… but why was he looking straight at the camera?

"Why, hello there," Gaster said. "Yes, you, on the other side of the screen. I see you."

The console buzzed with another burst of static. The camera zoomed in on Gaster's face, and the background turned black. Sans, Alphys, and the others disappeared. It was just Gaster. His face reverted into its current state, with his skull cracked and decaying.

Chara was too shocked to speak. Gaster was here, talking to her.

"Ah, there you are," he said with a smile, as if this insane situation was merely a minor inconvenience. "The princess herself, Chara Dreemurr. I am pleased you have never walked down the dark path, like so many others have. You and Frisk have both done well, and I can see why you've become so close."

How did he know all that?

"And don't think I forgot about you, Felicia," Gaster went on. "My condolences for all that's happened. You've been through unspeakable hardship, but I'm rooting for you."

_How?!_

"Oh, I'm always listening," Gaster said. "I may no longer be able to interact, but I can still watch. Speaking of which, I'm in a bit of a bind here. Well, I suppose we both are. You're stuck in the wrong timeline – Sorry about that, by the way – and I'm scattered across all of them. It was great for research, but all the knowledge in the multiverse is useless if I cannot share it. If you'd be so kind, could you please h-h-h-helllll…"

With an intense flicker of static, the console suddenly shut down.

"No!" Chara slammed her fist against the machine. "Gaster! Come back!"

_Chara! Look out!_

She heard a familiar noise from behind, the sound of a Gaster blaster charging up. Chara jumped to side just before the beam came crashing down. She had avoided the beam, but she wasn't the target, was she? She looked at the console. It had been totally destroyed, blown to pieces.

"NO!" Chara ran to the broken machine and dug through the scrap. "Dr. Gaster! Are you okay?"

_It was just a computer, Chara. I don't think he's there. I'd be more worried about who shot it._

It looked like Felicia was right. There was no trace of Gaster. Chara stepped away from the shattered console and looked all around through the darkness. Who fired that blaster?

_Click!_

Light returned. In an instant, Chara was back in Snowdin. She was lying down on a wooden floor, facing the Underground's ceiling. She looked to her left and realized she was moving. She was on a boat, the River Person's boat.

The River Person sensed Chara awaken. "Greetings, traveler. I saw you fall into the water, so I brought you onto my boat. You've been asleep for a few minutes."

Chara groggily sat up. "River Person? You saved me?"

They nodded. "The Man Who Speaks in Hands guided me here."

The Man Who Speaks in Hands…? Oh, that must have been a reference to Gaster's love of wingdings. Chara didn't know how, but the River Person certainly knew Gaster. Gaster had asked the River Person for help, and they came. But what happened, exactly? Where was…?

"Where's Flowey?" Chara asked.

"The flower left to pursue the Goner. A futile effort, I'm afraid."

They knew Goner Kid, too? Maybe they could explain what was going on. "Why did she attack me?"

"The Goner is still extremely upset with the Doctor," River Person answered. "She does not wish for him to return, and is resisting your efforts to piece him back together."

Goner Kid hated Gaster that much? She had made it very clear that she blamed Gaster for what happened, but Chara hadn't realized she'd go this far.

"Speaking of which," River Person pulled something out of their robe, "I was instructed to give you this."

A shadowy hand extended out of the River Person's robe, holding… a head. It looked like a shrunken version of Gaster's head. Was that…?

"This is what you seek," River Person said.

That was it, the Gaster fragment. Chara took it from the River Person. Ick, it felt cold and sticky, like an amalgamate, but if she needed it to get home, she wouldn't complain.

"You must take this fragment to the Comic One," River Person instructed. "He'll know what to do."

The Comic One, that must have been Sans. Chara just had to take this fragment to Sans. Easy… except she didn't know where he was.

"Where –"

_MOVE!_

Without warning, a Gaster blaster appeared in front of the boat, charging up. Chara had no choice but to dive off the boat. She jumped off the side, hearing the blaster go off just before landing in the snow. She fell on impact and rolled across the ground before coming to a stop facedown. The snow had softened her fall somewhat, but it still hurt. Chara's maximum HP fell to eight points.

Chara shook it off and got back to her feet. Was River Person okay? She looked back at the river and saw the boat. Miraculously, neither River Person nor their boat were harmed by the blast, despite taking a direct hit from the beam. They continued down the river without her. Chara was on her own.

Chara felt something rumble beneath the ground. She quickly moved before a massive spike jutted out from below. It retracted, revealing Goner Kid standing behind it. She had a menacing expression on her face, and her empty eyes made it even more terrifying.

"Goner Kid, what the hell?!" Chara shouted.

"Give me the fragment," she demanded.

"No, I need it!"

"He doesn't deserve to come back," Goner Kid said. "The others are working so hard to bring him back, but why should they? It's his fault we're here. He deserves to stay erased like the rest of us." She summoned another blaster. "Now, give me the fragment."

_Wait a second. Chara, the River Person wasn't even phased from the blast. I don't think she can actually hurt you. She's basically a ghost, right?_

With only eight HP, Chara wasn't eager to test that theory, but perhaps she could bluff.

"You can't hurt me," Chara said with false confidence. "Your blaster didn't even scratch the River Person."

"True," Goner Kid admitted. "I can't interact with this world, but you're  _not_  from this world. At this point, you've phased more than enough for this to affect you. How do you think I pushed you, idiot?"

Shit.

Goner Kid stepped forward. "Last chance, hand over the fragment."

_Chara, do something!_

Chara made her decision:  _run_. She turned and sprinted through the forest as fast as she could, holding the fragment close.

"You're not getting away!"

Chara didn't listen and kept running, dodging the blaster's beam as she ran. How did Goner Kid get a Gaster blaster, anyway? Whatever. Chara glanced back and saw Goner Kid falling behind. She had probably tripped again; Chara would escape in no time.

Soon, Chara found a clearing in the forest. She had made her way back to Box Road. Chara made a new plan: get back to Snowdin Town. Perhaps she could ask someone there about Sans's whereabouts, assuming anyone was willing to trust her with that information.

She kept moving down Box Road, jogging at a steady pace. As she did, she saw a group of monsters, except they were… transparent? They were like ghosts, but not in the sense that Napstablook was. Several transparent Snowdrakes and Ice Caps were walking around, seemingly unware of Chara's presence. This day just kept getting weirder.

_Chara, I think they're from… other timelines. We're becoming like Gaster, so we're phasing into other worlds._

She tried not to get distracted, but it was hard to ignore such a surreal phenomenon. One of the monsters, a Snowdrake, appeared to be fighting someone, a human… another Frisk.

"Fights you in  _cold_ blood!" Snowdrake cried before attacking Frisk with crescent-shaped projectiles. Frisk easily dodged it and stuck Snowdrake with a toy knife. In just a couple hits, the monster's body collapsed to dust.

Chara stopped dead in her tracks and clutched her heart, paralyzed in horror. To see Frisk do such a thing… it was even worse than the videos. It felt too real. It felt like she was right there, watching Frisk kill, and doing nothing to stop him.

_Ignore it! Don't stop!_

No, that wasn't Frisk. That was someone else. She kept moving, and more ghosts of Frisk appeared. Not all of them were killing. Most of them acted like the real Frisk, appeasing every monster without killing them, but several others fought without mercy. Even knowing they weren't actually him, seeing the person she loved most commit such horrific acts felt like a knife to her heart.

She kept trying to ignore them, but she just couldn't. How could they be so heartless?

"No one will ever love you the way you are," one of the Frisks cruelly said to a Snowdrake. They struggled to make a retort, and slinked away utterly crushed… At least they weren't killed, right?

Oh, focus! Focus! Just get out of this forest. Nothing else mattered.

She reached the next crossroads, where Goner Kid blocked the path. How did she get ahead of her?

Goner Kid pointed the blaster at her. Chara immediately turned left and ran that way instead. She reached the snowman's clearing, and she saw another transparent Frisk, standing in front of a bewildered snowman. This Frisk was… eating him?!

The snowman stared at Frisk in disbelief. "Did you just… consume the part of me I had given you? In front of my very eyes?! I have no words for you… Begone!"

… no words, indeed.

_Stop getting distracted!_

Right when Felicia said that, Chara heard Goner Kid's blaster charge up behind her. She dashed back into the trees and kept moving. Covered by the forest, she got past Goner Kid and made it to the area with the ball game.

She saw another Frisk ghost playing Ball. Frisk kicked the ball into the hole, and it raised an orange flag. "God damn it!" Frisk screamed as if the world was ending. "Freaking orange again! What does it take to get red?!"

Not important. Chara got through the ball game area and reached the spot where Papyrus gave Frisk the word jumble. At the other side, Goner Kid blocked the way again. There was no easy way past this time.

"How are you doing that?!" Chara yelled.

_Click!_

Everything went dark for a moment, and Goner Kid disappeared.

_Click!_

Goner Kid reappeared. "Teleportation, son."

Why was Chara surprised? Sans had that power, too. How was she going to get past this time? By asking nicely?

"Let me go!" Chara exclaimed. "Disregarding your hatred for Gaster, how can you justify letting me remain trapped here?"

"It's not just revenge," Goner Kid said. "Gaster is too dangerous to be freed. Last time, he managed to get himself and four innocent people erased from time itself. 'Oh, but it was an accident' I hear you say. Well, if given the chance, what  _accident_  do you think he'll cause next? How many more innocent lives will  _accidently_  be destroyed by his experiments? He can't be trusted."

Chara refused to believe that. Gaster was only trying to stop the anomaly. It wasn't his fault.

"And as for you," Goner Kid said, "you're even more dangerous. I know who you are,  _what_ you are. You're the Demon, the one with the power to send the whole timeline into darkness. You're better off forgotten, too."

… was it her fault? Hadn't Gaster died trying to stop her?

_Don't listen to her, Chara._

In the background, Chara saw two more ghosts of Frisk. They were talking to Sans and Papyrus as they argued over word jumbles and crosswords. One Frisk agreed with Sans and said word jumbles were harder, while the other Frisk sided with Papyrus and said it was crosswords. How could the same person hold contradictory opinions?

They wouldn't. They weren't the same person. Even though they looked similar, all Frisks were different people. Was that why they were an anomaly? Because they were all so different from each other? Perhaps Chara was not inherently variable the way Frisk was, but even so, the other Charas, the ones who lusted for power, they weren't her. She was her own person, and she'd make her own fate.

Chara stared at Goner Kid, her reds eyes brimming with determination. "You're wrong. I will not be forgotten. I'm going home, and you will not stop me!"

Chara charged forward. Goner Kid was shocked by her sudden resolve, but she held her ground and fired her blaster. Chara jumped right over the beam and kicked Goner Kid in the face. She grunted and fell to the ground, and Chara ran through.

 _Damn,_ Felicia breathed.  _All_   _that training with Undyne is really paying off._

_Thanks, but it's not over yet._

_Right, don't stop._

Chara didn't stop. She continued her flight through Snowdin, not allowing herself to be distracted by the ghosts this time. Goner Kid tried to stop her at every turn, firing her blaster and shooting spikes at her. Her attacks weren't very complex or difficult to dodge, but Chara only had eight HP left. Even a single hit could be the end of her.

Normally, Chara could fight back with her own magic, but in her current condition, magic was a last resort. As Chara had learned the hard way, using magic in this state would drain her HP in addition to EN. She really had to be careful.

Fortunately, Chara made it far without getting hit. She ran past abandoned security checkpoint that used to be station by Lesser Dog, and soon, she was at the snow poffs near Greater Dog's checkpoint. She was close, but she was getting very tired. She was forced to slow down and catch her breath. Stupid human body.

_Chara! What did I just say?!_

_You wanna take over?_

_I didn't say that…_

While she was panting, Chara watched one of the ghost Frisks mess with each and every snow poff in the area, laughing as he did. She smiled warmly. She knew exactly what that one was about.

_Okay, that's enough. Get moving before Murder Kid catches up._

Chara proceeded to the bridge and realized she had a problem. There was very little room to maneuver on the bridge, and it was fairly long. This one was going to be difficult.

Goner Kid teleported to the other side. "That's it! You're  _not_ getting past this bridge! Hand it over!"

Chara held the fragment close. "Not happening."

"R0lWRSBJVCEgR0lWRSBJVCE=" Goner Kid screamed in her glitch voice, angrily hoping up and down.

Felicia laughed.  _Someone's having a temper tantrum… Uh, well, maybe I shouldn't talk._

_Yeah, I was about to say…_

_Shut up._

"U08gQkUgSVQh" Goner Kid fired her Gaster blaster. Chara jumped over it, but while she was midair, Goner Kid summoned a spike below her.

_NO!_

Chara's landed right on it. The spike impaled her foot. Chara screamed, and Goner Kid followed up with another spike to Chara's chest. She fell over and lost three maximum HP. She only had five points left. She started to feel sick.

Very sick… Chara turned even more monochrome, and she felt something rise from her…

Chara clutched her stomach, and she vomited her black goop all over the bridge. She'd never get used to that pungent and resinous flavor.

_Chara…_

Goner Kid scoffed. "How pathetic. Well, looks like I win."

No… no! Chara was  _not_ dying like this! Not after all she had been through! She stood back up, feeling tar drip from her glowing red eyes. Goner Kid couldn't hide being at least a little intimidated. "Still? You want more? Come on, just give up already!"

Never. Chara limped forward, and Goner Kid stepped back, shaking. "H-hey! Don't come closer! I won!"

"I'm still moving, aren't I?"

"B-but… but…"

Goner Kid couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to actually kill her. Even though taking the fragment was effectively the same thing, Goner Kid didn't have the nerve to do it directly. She was too scared.

At least, that's what Chara hoped.

"You don't want to do it, do you?" Chara said. "That's alright, just let me pass. It'll be okay."

"N-no!" Goner kid shakily yelled. "If you take one more step, I swear I'll –"

Chara took another step.

"Stop it! STOP IT!" Goner Kid shrieked. "I mean it!"

Chara inched closer. "Please, just…"

The Gaster blaster flew directly in front of Chara. "Not. Another. Step."

Chara swallowed. The skull-like face of the blaster stared into her soul, like the jaws of the death. She took another step, and she heard the blaster roar, its eyes glowing afire…


	38. Home

She was going to shoot.

Chara had no choice. Before the blaster fired, she threw an energy knife at Goner Kid. Just the one knife cost Chara two HP to cast, but it worked. The knife stabbed Goner Kid in the stomach. Her blaster disappeared as she collapsed on the bridge.

She didn't get up.

Chara felt a pit in her stomach. That couldn't have been enough to kill her… right? Stuffing the Gaster fragment in her pocket, she ran to Goner Kid and held her in her arms. Dust was flowing out of Goner Kid's wound. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. Chara hadn't meant to hurt her  _that_  much. She hadn't meant to…

Goner Kid coughed up dust. "Heh, looks like you win after all."

"N-no, you're gonna be okay."

"Haha… I'm such a turd."

What was Chara thinking? She should have just held her ground. Goner Kid wasn't going to fire. Why did she panic? Why did she give in to her fear? She was so stupid.

Goner Kid laughed while coughing up more dust. "You really feel that bad? Why? Are you trying to make  _me_ feel bad? You really are cruel. Why don't you just say something mean so I can hate you?"

"Goner Kid…"

"Don't worry," she said. "You won't get any EXP for this. You can't kill someone who doesn't exist, after all."

No, Chara wasn't going to let that happen. She stood up and lifted Goner Kid off the ground. "You're not dying here."

Goner Kid looked up at her, with confusion in her blank eyes. "Why?"

"You're going to see your family again."

She frowned. "I… I can't. I'm not going to…"

"You'll make it. Don't give up."

Chara tried to sense Goner Kid's stats, but all she saw was 'Error!' She couldn't tell how close Goner Kid was to dying; she just had to hope she wouldn't crumble to dust before they got help.

Help… who could help? Sans?

"Seriously," Goner Kid breathed, "why are you doing this for me?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Chara answered. "Simple as that."

"Even if I survive this, there's no way I'll ever be my normal self again. I'm just some goner."

"I'm not leaving you."

"But –"

"I'm not leaving you!"

Goner Kid fell silent. Chara crossed the bridge and carried her into Snowdin Town. She was surprisingly light, even for a monster. Chara brought her into the town without a problem, and a familiar face approached.

Napstablook rolled up to Chara, still in their robot body. "Oh, there you are. Umm… Alphys wanted to know who you were talking to."

Chara was so happy to see them. "Napstablook! This child needs help!"

Napstablook sounded confused. "I… don't see anyone?"

"What do you mean? I'm holding her right…"

Oh, yeah. Goner Kid was invisible to most people. Napstablook couldn't see her.

"Why are you holding your arms out like that?" Napstablook asked. "And, uh, don't take this the wrong way, but, umm… your face looks weird."

Chara took a deep breath. "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but right now, I'm carrying an invisible child. She's hurt, and she needs help, now."

"Invisible? Is she a ghost?"

"Not exactly. More like… ah, there's no time to explain. She needs help immediately. I think Sans is our best bet. Do you know where he is?"

"Sans? He lives behind the lab."

He was right behind the lab this whole time? Really? Chara sighed. "We need to get there," she said. "Can you take me there?"

"Uh, yeah. Alphys wanted you to come back, anyway."

If Chara weren't holding Goner Kid, she'd hug them. "Thank you, Napstablook!"

"Umm… no problem."

Together, Chara and Napstablook walked through Snowdin Town and into Waterfall, beginning the long walk all the way back to Hotland. Chara couldn't believe Sans was right there the whole time. If only she hadn't had her little breakdown. Maybe they would have been able to resolve this without hurting Goner Kid, or maybe not. Ah, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had to save her.

"So, are you okay?" Napstablook asked. "What's that black stuff coming out of your eyes? And why are you all… monochrome?"

With only three HP remaining, Chara's face had gone full demon, her eyes hollow and dripping tar, and her body had almost turned completely gray. She hoped going home would cure her.

"Don't worry about me," she said. "I'll be fine; I just need to get home."

Yeah, getting home sounded  _really_ good right now.

Chara carried Goner Kid through Waterfall, and Napstablook ensured that no one got in the way. As Chara walked, other timelines continued to flicker in her vision. She saw more ghosts of Frisk. As before, most were being nice, while others ranged from plain jerks to psychopaths who thought their reset power was a toy. Ugh, just because they could reset didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted! She was so glad her Frisk understood that.

It was strange, though. Every Frisk was a separate individual on the inside, yet their appearances were similar enough so Chara could always recognize them as 'Frisk.' Why did they all look so similar? Then again, there were a few differences on the outside as well. Some were little kids, while some were in their early teens. Some appeared to be male, while others looked female, or perhaps even neither, though Chara couldn't really tell just by looking at them. Well, it didn't really matter.

Chara couldn't help but wonder how the other Frisks felt about their own Charas. Even if they were kind to the monsters, that didn't mean they were kind to her. How many of them learned the truth about her? How many of them hated her? How lucky was she to have a Frisk who forgave her? Was it common? Did Frisk usually like her? Were any of them… in love with her? Were there other Frisk and Chara couples out there?

Seeing all these Frisks made Chara even more eager to see her own Frisk. Some of the other Frisks may have been nice, but they weren't  _her_ Frisk. Her Frisk was special! He'd always be her sweetheart!

Before Chara knew it, they had made their way through Waterfall. Chara and Napstablook were once again standing in front of Alphys's lab. Napstablook confirmed their identity, and the door opened. Still holding Goner Kid, Chara went back inside the lab.

Inside, Alphys greeted her again, looking quite a bit more bewildered this time. She started at her, studying her colorless demon face. "So, uh, of all two humans I've met in my life, I'm honestly not sure which one is weirder."

"Alphys, we need help," Chara urgently said. "You can't see her, but I'm holding an invisible monster who needs healing right away."

"I know," Alphys said. "I saw the whole thing on my cameras. I thought you were totally nuts until I saw you get stabbed out of thin air."

Oh, Alphys was watching? Yeah, that must have looked pretty weird if she couldn't see Goner Kid, but that wasn't important. They had a monster to save.

"We need Sans," Chara said. "He should know what to do."

_Click!_

Sans casually teleported in front of Chara. "Hey."

Chara wasn't sure whether she wanted to slap him or hug him. "Sans! It's about time! I'm holding someone like… you know who. Can you see her?"

Sans stared at Chara's stretched out arms. "Nope, nothing. Who is it?"

"She said her name is Goner Kid, Monster Kid's sister."

Alphys was shocked when she heard that. "Wait, what? Monster Kid's imaginary sister?"

"She's real!" Chara yelled, accidently spitting tar on Alphys's face. "No one remembers her, but she's real!"

"So, she's a Redacted," Sans said.

"A Redacted? That's what they're called?"

Sans nodded. "Yep, and it looks like you're well on your way to becoming one."

"Yeah, I noticed. Thanks for reminding me. Now, can you please do something to help Goner Kid?"

"A shot of DT should do the trick," Sans said. "The souls may be gone, but Alphys still has some of their DT left over. Hang tight, I'll go get one for you."

Sans walked away into the True Lab's basement to retrieve some DT. Chara checked on Goner Kid. She had lost consciousnesses. It wasn't looking good. Sans needed to hurry.

In the meantime, Chara asked Alphys a question. "Hey, do you know anything about the Redacted?"

"Only what Sans told me," Alphys said. "I never really believed him to be honest. It all sounded crazy, but… maybe I was wrong."

"You truly don't remember Gaster?" Chara asked. "You used to serve under him. He was the Royal Scientist before you."

"So Sans told me, but I remember nothing."

That was strange. Why did Sans remember, but not Alphys? Come to think of it, Goner Kid had only one person who remembered her, too. Was there some kind of rule where only one person could remember a Redacted?

A little while later, Sans returned with a DT syringe. He handed it to Chara. "You're the only one who can touch her, so you'll have to administer it."

"Are you certain this will work?" Chara asked. "DT is dangerous for monsters, is it not?"

"Excess DT breaks down what little physicality a monster has, but a Redacted doesn't have physicality in the first place."

He was the expert. Chara took the syringe and injected the DT into Goner Kid. She woke up with a gasp, and her wound closed. Chara breathed a sigh of relief and set Goner Kid back on her feet. She wasn't going to die.

Goner Kid blinked, still processing what had just happened. "Chara… you really…?"

"It was nothing," she said.

"But, I acted so horrible to you. Why would you save me?"

"I already told you, did I not? Although, I suppose an apology would be nice."

Goner Kid frowned shamefully. "I… I just don't want anyone else to end up like me. I mean, what if my sister is next? I can't let Gaster erase anyone else."

"Have a little faith," Chara said. "I'm sure Gaster has learned from his mistakes. He won't let it happen again, and he'll find a way to help you."

"I will  _never_  trust Gaster!"

Chara could only feel pity for the poor kid. It was only natural for her to hate Gaster after what happened to her. She was dead, forgotten, and all alone. All she could do was watch the world she had been deleted from, everything functioning perfectly without her. A morbid comer of Chara's mind wondered if she would have been better off if Chara had just left her for dead.

"… I'm sorry," Goner Kid apologized. "I really don't trust him, but I won't try to stop you again. I… I didn't mean it when I said you deserve to be forgotten. You're one of the good ones."

Chara felt a warmth in her soul. She hugged Goner Kid. "It's okay."

Alphys squealed. "Eeeh! I can't even see half of it, but this is so cute!"

"Thank you," Goner Kid whispered. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. If the other me gives you trouble, just give her my secret codeword."

"Codeword?"

"Ah, yeah," Sans said. "Those are important. Everyone should have one."

Chara started to get worried. Was she going to make her say something stupid and childish?

"Just tell her this…" Goner Kid whispered the code to Chara. To her surprise, it was actually classy and not childish at all.

"Now, go home," Goner Kid said. "I'm sure everyone is worried about you."

"I wish there was more I could do for you," Chara lamented.

"You've done enough. Please, don't worry about me."

"I won't forget you," Chara said. "That's the least I can do." She winked. "I had a real  _blast_ after all."

She smiled. "Alright. That does make me feel a little better about this. Thank you. Just don't feel bad about it. You've done everything you could."

Chara supposed it was time to leave, but there was one thing still lingering on her mind. "Hey, where did Flowey go?"

"Uh, I don't know. He tried to fight me, but neither of us could hurt each other. I'm not sure where he –"

Chara felt something shake beneath the floor. It cracked, and Flowey sprouted out of it. He must have been listening in secret the whole time.

Alphys whimpered. "My floor…"

"Chara!" Flowey exclaimed. "I've made up my mind! I'm coming with you!"

"You can't," Goner Kid said. "Unless you want to become a UmVkYWN0ZWQ= like me."

Despite being soulless, Flowey looked heartbroken. "What? But, I… I want to…"

Poor Flowey. Chara pat him on the head. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

"… well, whatever," Flowey said. "It's not like I actually care. It's just… things will be a lot less interesting without you."

Chara wasn't going to lie to him. "I don't know if things will get better for you. Another human is bound to show up eventually, but it wouldn't be right to kill them without proper cause. However, if you do manage to get a human soul, could you do me a favor and kill that last human who came through here?"

"Kill him? But, you're in that human, too. Well, not  _you_ , but you know what I mean."

"You'd be doing me a favor," Chara said. "I'm better off dead than trapped in a human like that. Although, it would be wonderful if you could somehow convince him to undo all the murders he committed."

"Seems unlikely, but if I ever get the chance, I'll give it a shot for you, Chara."

Chara smiled. "Thank you. He'll regret letting you live… Huh, why did he let you live, anyway?"

"Hmm… I don't really know," Flowey said. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was because of you. He stopped killing in the first place because he was terrified of giving you more power, so maybe that's why. You were the only thing that scared him more than monsters."

How flattering, but it kept Flowey alive, so that was good. Perhaps Monty was right about one thing. Demon deterrence appeared to be effective, indeed.

Chara's HP decayed to just two points. It was time to leave. She turned to Sans and pulled out the Gaster fragment from…

Eww… her pocket was all sticky now. Gross.

Ugh, Chara shook it off and focused. She showed the fragment to Sans. "You know what this is, do you not? I need to go home."

Sans was more than a little surprised to see the Gaster fragment. "Well, look at you, Tar Face. You got yourself a piece of Gaster."

"Sans, please. I don't have much time left."

"Yeah, yeah. Follow me." Sans started to lead Chara out the back of Alphys's lab.

"Well, goodbye," Alphys said. "This certainly isn't how I pictured our next encounter with a human going, but I guess It was nice all things considered. You didn't kill anyone, at least."

Chara turned to her and bowed. "Farewell, Queen Alphys."

Alphys blushed. "Heh, that's still strange to hear. Take care."

"Goodbye," Goner Kid said. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Goodbye, Chara," Flowey said. "At least I got to see you one more time."

Chara waved goodbye. "Thank you, everyone. Farewell, and good luck."

With their goodbyes finished, Sans and Chara exited Alphys's lab. Sans took Chara to a small wooden shack behind it. "This is my new house," he said.

It was about the same size as Papyrus's toolshed back in Snowdin. Chara frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, it's fine for just one person."

Damn it, Sans.

Sans led Chara behind the shack and showed her a hatch presumably leading to a basement. He took out a key and unlocked it. Chara climbed down the ladder inside. The basement was very basic, just a dirt floor and stone walls. The only things inside were some drawers and something concealed by a curtain.

Sans pulled back the curtain, revealing the machine Alphys mentioned. "This is your ticket home. Just give me that fragment, and I'll have this thing running in a few minutes."

Chara hoped she had a few minutes. She gave Sans the fragment. He placed it in a slot on top of the machine's console. It powered on, and he started typing on the keyboard.

It was going to be a little while. Might as well ask a question while she waited. "Hey, Sans, you're the only one who remembers Gaster, are you not? Not counting me, of course."

"The only tangible person, yeah."

"I was just wondering, why is that? Only Monster Kid remembers Goner Kid. Why do both of them have only one person who remembers?"

"I don't really know," Sans said, "but if I had to guess, I'd say the last person in your thoughts will remember you when you're deleted."

That was a plausible theory. Monster Kid was undoubtedly important to Goner Kid, and Sans was apparently close with Gaster.

"So if you feel like you're about to fall apart," Sans said, "make sure you think of the person you love most! Heh, heh."

How could he say that?! That was  _not_ funny! Chara didn't even want to consider having to make that choice. How could she let Frisk  _or_ Asriel forget her? Not to mention Asgore and Toriel. She  _couldn't_ make that choice.

"Then again," Sans said. "if you're going to be deleted forever, is it best if no one remembers you?"

"Hey, I've got a great idea," Chara said. "Let's stop talking about this."

Sans kept working on the machine in silence. As he did, Chara's maximum HP dropped its final point.  _She only had one HP._  She started to panic. "U0FOUyEgSFVSUlkh"

Eventually, a white light glowed on the machine's platform. Sans gave Chara the Gaster fragment back. "That's it. Carry this fragment and –"

Chara jumped into the portal.

* * *

Frisk paced back and forth in Sans's basement. It had been two hours since he had made it back. Where was Chara? Was she okay? Frisk was worried sick. He wished there was more he could do than wait for her.

"I swear," Asriel said. "If she doesn't show up in the next five minutes, this basement is about to get dusty."

"She'll make it," Frisk said. "She'll make it. Just a little longer."

Yes, just a little longer. Any minute now…

Suddenly the portal glowed brighter. Someone came through. It was Chara! Chara was here! She was…

Oh…

Frisk 's heart clenched. Chara was  _not_ in good shape. Her whole body was monochrome, and her face was fully in its demon form. Chara collapsed on all fours as soon as she teleported in, dripping tar and panting heavily.

Eventually, she looked up, and she saw him. "Frisk…"

"Chara…"

"FRISK!" Chara ran to him, and they embraced, leaping into each other's arms. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Even like this, Frisk was overjoyed to see her again, but he was still worried. "Chara, what happened to you?"

She laughed. "Oh, so many things. So many horrible things, but it's okay now!" She pulled back and saw the cuts on his shirt. "What about you? Who did this to you?!"

"I'm  _much_  more worried about you. Why are you all grayed out?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Asriel asked. "Why aren't you –"

Chara hugged him. "Brother! You're okay, too!"

"Y-yeah, so I believe we asked you a question?"

Chara set Asriel down and took a deep breath. "I guess I took longer than you, didn't I? Sorry to keep you waiting."

Frisk was seriously concerned. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I hope so. While I was in the other timeline, my maximum HP – yes,  _maximum_  HP– began to fall, and my body lost its color. Now that I'm back, I'm hoping…" Chara's eyes lit up. "Yes! I just went back to two HP!"

"Wait, you only had one HP?!"

"You were  _that_ close to dying?!" Asriel exclaimed.

"Welcome to the club," Sans said.

"Don't worry!" Chara said. "I'm going to be okay. I'm already recovering."

Frisk was relieved to hear that. Chara was going to be okay. She was safe, and she was here.

"You must have quite the story to tell," Asriel said.

"Heh… yeah…"

Frisk and Chara exchanged their stories, catching each other up to speed on everything they had been through.

At Chara's insistence, Frisk went first. When he finished telling her about Undyne's death, Chara hugged him. "Oh, Frisk. That was awful. I'm so sorry you had to see that."

"I just can't believe he did it," Frisk said. "I mean, I understand why he did it, but…"

"I know, Frisk."

"I just wonder if there's anything I could have done to –"

"Don't," Chara said. "It's not your fault. Yes, that Undyne is gone now, but don't blame yourself. And, this may sound selfish, but don't forget that our Undyne is perfectly fine. You can put that timeline behind you."

Yeah, Chara was right. Frisk was so glad she was there to comfort him, but he knew that whatever Chara had been through, it was probably worse.

"All right," Frisk said. "Your turn. What happened in your timeline?"

With a solemn look on her face, Chara began to tell them her story. As Frisk had feared, she indeed had it much worse than he did. He couldn't believe what she told him about the Frisk from the tragic timeline she had visited.

"I would  _never_ do that," Frisk said with disgust in his voice. "That other me wasn't me at all!"

"It gets worse," Chara gravely said. "The other version of me wasn't exactly opposed to what he did. She  _helped_ him, and the only reason why he stopped killing was because she threatened to kill humans as well. She wanted to kill everyone, and if you were like him, I…" Her voice cracked. "I think I would have been the same way."

God, as if Chara didn't already have enough to feel sorry for. Wanting to erase the world, it didn't get much worse than that, did it? Still, as strange as it may have been, it didn't change how Frisk felt about her.

Frisk put a hand on her shoulder. "Chara, that other 'you;' was  _not_  you. A different version of you, maybe, but not  _you_. The fact that you're so disgusted by her proves that."

"I… I know," Chara said. "I just needed to hear you say it."

"And even if you had done that, you were soulless, and the only soul around would have been one perfectly willing to kill innocent people. You can't really be blamed for that."

Frisk was half-expecting Chara to argue, but she just sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Frisk."

He smiled and pat her on the back. "Anytime."

"Anyway, there's still a couple more things that happened."

Chara told the rest of her story. Her battle with Boaris, her encounter with Gaster, and the close call with Goner Kid.

"Yeesh," Asriel said. "You did not have it easy, did you? You almost died at least three times."

"Well, I didn't," Chara said. "I couldn't leave you guys hanging, after all."

Frisk smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, Chara. I love what you did for Goner Kid. That's something only a truly kind person would do."

She blushed. "Really, it was nothing."

"Well, I guess that's everything," Asriel said. "As for me, I didn't do anything interesting. I just stayed in this timeline, got a fragment, and opened the portal that brought you both home. You're welcome."

"I'm glad you're all caught up," Sans said. "Now, let's get to business, shall we? I believe the three of you have all collected something important."

Right, Frisk gathered the three Gaster fragments. It was time to piece Gaster back together. "Okay, how do we do this?"

Sans took the fragments out of his hands. "It's simple, really. We just gotta return them to Gaster. I'll take us right there."

He turned back and walked outside of the basement. Frisk and the others followed.

_Click!_

As soon they left the basement, Sans teleported them to Waterfall, near the room where they first encountered Gaster. They stood in front of the mysterious door leading to him. Sans opened it, and they went inside.

Gaster was there, just like last time. He still appeared to be frozen in time. Frisk felt a twinge of anxiety when he saw him. He didn't want a repeat of their last encounter.

"Just don't touch him," Sans said. "You'll be fine."

Frisk and the others kept their distance while Sans approached Gaster. He held out the three fragments to him, as if offering them to a deity. The three heads floated out of Sans's hands and spun around Gaster. The fragments spun faster, and faster. Frisk couldn't keep track of them. They spun around at dizzying speed until they were a blur. Frisk felt the ground rumble, and a blinding light erupted from the fragments…

When the light cleared, Gaster was floating before them, now fully aware of his surroundings. He stretched his arms out, as if awakening from a nap. "Ah, it's about time."

Frisk stood in awe. They had done it. Gaster had been awakened.

"Dr. Gaster," Chara said, "can you hear me?"

Gaster smiled at her. "Yes, I can hear you."

"Well, what do you know?" Sans said. "Welcome back, boss."

Without saying another word, Gaster abruptly flew out of the room. Frisk and the others ran after him. He flew to Sans's telescope, and he gave it a push with a small blast of magic. It fell over on its side. Gaster chuckled.

Frisk didn't know what to make of this. "Uh, Gaster?"

Gaster flew up in the air and dived down into a pool of water, causing a massive splash. Frisk covered his face as the cold water sprayed him, and Gaster laughed giddily as he resurfaced.

"What are you  _doing_?!" Asriel demanded.

Gaster flew right in front of him. "Do you have any idea how good it feels just to  _interact_ with something? I may still be incorporeal, but I am  _tangible_  again. At last, I can finally  _do things_ again."

Oh, so that's what it was. Frisk felt sorry for him. He couldn't imagine what it was like for him, being able to watch everything, but do nothing. No wonder he was so excited to simply touch things again.

"Well, that's great," Asriel said. "Now, you have some explaining to do. Why did you send Chara and Frisk to those death traps?"

"It was not intentional," Gaster replied. "Once they got too close, there was nothing I could do to prevent what happened, but don't worry, I'm no longer contagious. It won't happen again."

Frisk had so many questions. Where to even start? "So, uh, how are you?" he asked. "I mean, are you stable now?"

Gaster held out his hands and presented his ghostly form. "Obviously, I have not been returned to my former self. I haven't been rewritten into history, and I don't have a physical body, but I  _do_ exist. I can be seen. I can be heard, and I can use magic."

"So, you're like a regular ghost now," Chara surmised.

"Precisely."

"What about the whole scattered across time and space thing?" Frisk asked. "Can you still see those other timelines?"

"Hmm… not anymore," Gaster said. "You've collected my fragments and restored my spirit, and I am once again constrained to this timeline."

"Wait," Chara said, "if you're constrained to this timeline, what happened to the other Gasters from other timelines?"

"They all have their own fragments, from when they suffered the same tragic accident. Those other versions of me are still the same as they've always been. You've merely restored the instance of myself from this timeline."

Frisk's head started to hurt. "This is kind of confusing."

"Don't think about it too hard," Gaster advised. "All you need to understand is that I, the Dr. W.D. Gaster of your timeline, have been restored to a tangible spirit form."

"All I want to know is how you can help us," Asriel said.

Gaster nodded. "I have the information you seek. I can confirm that the destruction described by President Malcom is the work of demons, not monsters. In fact, it is the same destruction I was investigating before my experiment went amiss."

Asriel sighed. "Gosh, all that trouble just to prove a simple point."

Frisk had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, it was good news that monsters weren't the ones turning those timelines into worlds of darkness, but on the other hand, the ones to blame were beings like Chara after all.

He balled up his fists. "Why? Why do they do it?  _How_ could anyone do it?"

"Various reasons," Gaster replied. "Sometimes, it's revenge. Sometimes, it's misanthropic nihilism. Sometimes, it's just because they can. Not out of any desire for good or evil, but because they can. And because they can, they have to."

Chara shivered. "And these demons… they're different incarnations of me?"

"Not always," Gaster said. "Other demons may come into existence, but many of them are in fact a variant of you, Chara. However, you can never do it alone. Frisk always makes their choice. For whatever reason, they start killing, gain EXP, and you become addicted to the power it brings, the feeling you get every time a number increases. The more they kill, the stronger the addiction grows. You crave more and more, and by the time it's over, any sense of morality you may have had is gone. As far as you're concerned, you only exist for one thing, the sole purpose of your reincarnation: power. And you won't stop until you reach the absolute."

Hearing that chilled Frisk to his bones, and he didn't want to think about how it made Chara feel. Thank God that never happened in their timeline.

"Jeez, go easy on her," Asriel said.

Gaster didn't apologize. "She asked, and I answered truthfully."

"I… I'm alright," Chara breathed. "They're not me. They're not. I'm not like them."

How were they going to go public with this information? It already took an open mind to see the good in Chara, and this wasn't going to do her any favors at all.

"So, here's what I don't get," Asriel said. "If Frisk is always a different person from timeline to timeline, then isn't everybody? What's so special about him? Isn't anything possible when you bring in alternate realities?"

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that," Gaster said. "To think of it as simply as possible, timelines are grouped into clusters Outside of our cluster, yes, absolutely anything is possible, but even I could not see those timelines. Within our cluster, there exists a set of rules that every timeline must follow, constants and variables shared across them all. For example, there is always a war between humans and monsters, and monsters always lose this war, resulting in their imprisonment under Mount Ebott."

"Wait, always?!" Chara exclaimed. "You're telling me that fate cannot be changed?!"

"No, it  _is_  possible to achieve a different outcome," Gaster clarified. "However, such a timeline would violate our cluster's rules, and fall outside of it."

"Oh… I'm confused."

Gaster chuckled. "I am aware this is a lot to take in. Truth be told, I don't know why these constants and variables exist; I don't know who or what created them in the first place. All I know is that the constants appear to revolve around monsterkind's imprisonment underground. While some details such as dates may vary, the general structure of events is always the same.

Gaster began to float back and forth, like he was pacing. "Curiously, the only consistent date is '201X,' the year Chara climbs the mountain. However, '201X' can mean many different things, as the state of the entire surface is highly variable following the war. It could stand for two hundred and one years since monsterkind was imprisoned, or it could mean Chara climbed the mountain sometime in the '2010s.'"

"Get to the point," Asriel impatiently complained.

Gaster ignored him and kept speaking. "Regardless of the date's meaning, Chara is always the first human to fall into the Underground. For indeterminate reasons, they always harbor a very strong hatred towards humanity, so strong that it drives them to climb the mountain where travelers are said to disappear. Once Underground, they always befriend Asriel, and they always coax him into a plan to absorb their soul and use its power to liberate monsterkind.

"Assuming the timeline is following our cluster's rules, the outcome is always the same. Asriel refuses to fight and succumbs to his wounds inflicted by the humans. He dies in the royal garden, leading Asgore to declare another war on humanity. Inevitably, six more humans fall Underground and die, and eventually, 'many years' after Asriel's death, Frisk arrives."

Frisk tried to make sense of this. "So, what you're saying is, some version of 'me' will always end up in a monster-filled Underground."

"Not only that," Gaster said, "but the Underground is always in more or less the same state upon your arrival. You always meet the same people, and their personalities are fairly consistent across every different timeline. Sans, for instance, is always a laidback skeleton who loves to make jokes, but is secretly depressed over the existence of resets and uses it as an excuse to be lazy."

"Yep, sounds about right," Sans said.

"Frisk themself, however, is highly variable," Gaster continued. "Their only noteworthy constants are that they will always be the eighth human to fall Underground, they will always, at the time of their arrival Underground, possess the power to reset, and they will always awaken Chara. Beyond that, almost everything else is indeterminate. They all have their own reasons for climbing the mountain, their own personalities, their own sense of right and wrong. From that point onward, the fate of the Underground is decided by their actions."

Asriel yawned. "Oh, what's the point of all this worthless exposition? We already got what we wanted out of him."

"Gaster," Chara said, "you need to tell everyone what you learned. Please, prove to everyone that demons are the ones responsible for the destruction."

Frisk really didn't like this. "Wait," he said. "Chara, are you sure you want -people to know that –"

"We've already discussed this," she snapped. "I don't care what anyone thinks of me. The monsters are more important."

"But…"

Chara stared at him intently, with a fire burning in her red eyes. "Frisk, this has to be done, regardless of your personal feelings for me."

Frisk gulped, unable to think clearly. "I… I just…"

Realizing she may have come off a bit harshly, Chara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. I can handle it."

"Chara…"

Gaster help up a hand. "There is another important point you may wish to consider. While demons may be the ones who consume timelines, that's not to say monsters are not capable of great destruction as well. President Malcom's fears are, after all, grounded in facts. As you have seen yourselves, it is entirely possible for a monster to absorb human souls and run rampant, and the longer humans and monsters are integrated, the greater the chance that it will happen."

No one wanted to hear that.

Chara clenched her fists. "What the hell are you saying?"

"The truth."

Frisk refused to believe it was hopeless "But, there's a solution, right? You've seen other worlds, haven't you? You must have seen plenty where this problem is solved."

"Sure," Gaster said. "I've seen solutions, but none you would approve of. Not even the barrier is an acceptable solution, as you have clearly demonstrated."

Frisk couldn't believe it. Was Gaster seriously suggesting that the only solution was the annihilation of either humans or monsters?

"I thought you were on our side!" Chara shouted. "How can you give up so easily? I don't care how many worlds you've seen! There has to be another way!"

Gaster frowned. "I wish there were, but I'm afraid the best you can do is simply hope it never happens. Yes, there are ways to mitigate it, but the threat can never be eliminated, not without committing the unthinkable."

Chara clearly wanted to scream at him, tell him he was wrong, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. Instead, she began to slip into despair. She buried her face deep into her hands. "Why? Why does this power exist? What cruel god created soul absorption in the first place?"

Gaster nodded. "I would like to know that myself." He held his chin and stared in deep thought. "Hmm… I wonder…"

Sans looked intrigued. "What are you thinking, boss?"

"You know what? There's a first time for everything, is there not? Yes, I'll come up with something that's never been done before." He looked at Sans. "I could use some assistance. What do you say, Sans? It'll be just like old times."

"I thought you'd never ask."

"What are you planning?" Frisk asked hopefully.

"Don't know yet," Gaster said, possibly evading the question. "I must conduct further research."

Chara folded her arms. "What do you mean?" she peevishly asked. "I thought you knew everything."

"There is  _always_ more to learn. The work of a scientist is never finished. Give me some time, and I'll find a way to help you. Until then, I believe you all have earned a rest. It is getting rather late."

Sans winked. "I couldn't agree more, boss."

Gaster smiled at him. "Come now, Sans. I'm not your boss anymore. Think of us as equals now."

Sans's tone became unusually serious. "I could never surpass you, Gaster."

"Ah, don't say such things. I believe in you!"

Sans was always smiling, but Frisk could tell he was happier. "Heh, it's good to have you back."

"Good to be back." Gaster turned in the direction of Hotland. "Now, I'm going to go tidy up my lab. To think such a perfectly good facility has gone to waste for over a year. Good night."

Sans waved. "See ya there."

Doctor W.D. Gaster departed for his home. Frisk's head was still spinning from everything he had said. He still felt a little down hearing the cold, hard truth about everything, and Chara wasn't feeling any better than he was. He agreed with her. Everything would have been great if soul absorption just didn't exist in the first place.

At least Gaster was going to try and do something, even if Frisk didn't know what it was yet.

"Well, ready to go home?" Sans asked. "I can take you there if you want."

Frisk nodded. "Yes, please. Let's go home."

"Okay, we'll be there in a second. Follow me."

Sans started walking, preparing to use his teleportation power. With tired eyes, Frisk, Chara, and Asriel followed him home.

* * *

Sans teleported them right in front of Toriel's doorstep. Frisk thanked him for the shortcut.

"No, thank you," Sans said. "I tried so hard to help Gaster, and seeing him back… it really means a lot."

Frisk dared to say that Sans was getting emotional. Frisk smirked. "Ah, Sans. Are you gonna start crying on us?"

"Heh, nah. That's not my style."

"Glad you're happy," Chara grumbled.

Sans waved. "Well, good night."

Frisk waved back. "Good night."

Sans walked away. Frisk and the others opened the door and went inside. Frisk was so tired. It was well past midnight, and it had been a very long day. Toriel was already asleep, so all there was left to do was to get some sleep themselves.

Chara looked tired as well, but she was recovering. Her face had returned to its human form, and most of the color had returned to her body. It was a relief to see her health going back to normal.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Chara said. She turned to Frisk and gave him an inviting smile. "Care to join me?"

Frisk smiled back and held her hand. "Oh, that sounds  _wonderful_ right now."

She giggled. "Good."

"Although, since you've stopped getting Felicia's nightmares, I guess we don't really have an excuse anymore."

Chara smirked and kissed his cheek. "We don't need an excuse."

"Gross," Asriel groused.

"Good night, Brother," Chara wished.

"Just go."

Holding his hand tight, Chara led Frisk to her room. They went inside. As soon as she closed the door, Chara growled and threw up her arms, venting all her pent-up frustration. "Oh, I can't believe him! Since was Gaster such a big, stupid… jerk!"

Frisk knew where she was coming from, but that wasn't really fair. "Hey, he was just telling us what he saw."

She took a deep breath. "Y-yeah, I know. Still, I can't help but feel mad at him. I know it's stupid, but I'm just so angry!"

"I don't think it's  _Gaster_ you're upset with," Frisk said. "You're just mad about… everything."

She let out another sigh. "Yeah, yeah. You're right. It's not his fault. I know I shouldn't feel this way."

"He could have been gentler with you, though. He didn't even flinch when talking about those twisted versions of you."

"Heh, that's just how he is. He never flinches. I don't think he's capable of feeling fear."

If nothing else, Gaster did seem brave, like Chara.

"You're pretty brave yourself," Frisk said. "I think if you weren't a determination soul, you'd be a bravery soul!"

Chara looked uncertain. "I don't know about that. Just today, I almost killed Goner Kid because I was scared."

"You only attacked when you had to. If you weren't brave, you wouldn't have held your ground for so long. Sometimes, just taking a step forward can take a lot of courage. You're filled with courage, Chara."

She blushed. "You're always so nice to me."

Frisk thoughts turned back to serious matters. "Chara, I'm still worried about you. When Gaster tells everyone about –"

"I told you, it's fine," Chara said. "They already think I'm the Demon anyway. What does it matter?"

"It definitely won't help. Don't you want people to see you in a better light?"

Chara looked through him, with a mixture of love and hope in her eyes. "I would be lying if I said they didn't get to me every now and then, but there's plenty of people who love me. I have my family, I have my friends, and of course, I have you. As long as I have that, I can handle any insults thrown at me."

"… they might throw more than insults," Frisk said. "I'm sure you remember what Elodie did."

"Exactly, it's nothing I haven't handled already. Don't worry so much. Even if they do kill me, I'll live."

She  _kind of_  had a point. Frisk smiled. "See? And you think you're not brave? If there were a humility soul, now  _that_  would be you."

She smiled back. "Alright. I'll accept the compliment."

"What about me?" Frisk asked. "What soul do you think I'd be if not determination?"

"Kindness, obviously. Or, perhaps integrity. You're also brave, too, and… Oh, you have all the virtues, Frisk! You're perfect!"

He laughed. "Ah, come on. No one's perfect."

Chara smiled warmly. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "Well, you're perfect to me."

Frisk's heart fluttered. He held up his hand and caressed Chara's cheek. "At the very least, I do have one weakness…"

Chara silently stared at him with her beautiful red eyes, her lips slightly parted. Frisk couldn't resist any longer. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Chara's. She whimpered euphorically before kissing back. Chara held him tighter, and he felt her tongue brush against his.

Frisk's heart pounded, pleasantly surprised by the move. His tongue tingled electrically as Chara swirled hers around his mouth. He caressed her shoulders and continued kissing her this way, moving his own tongue. He took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of Chara's body. With her this close to him, the world seemed to melt away. After the hardships he had faced, Chara's loving touch brought him a blissful catharsis.

Chara pulled away and gently pushed Frisk towards the direction of the bed. He stepped back let himself lie down onto it. Chara leaned over him, and she moved in for another kiss. Her lips were soft and tender. Frisk let all his inhibitions go. He hugged her tightly and kissed her deeply, passion coursing through his soul. He hoped she was enjoying this as much as he was.

Frisk took a moment to look at Chara's pretty face. He looked into her red eyes, her rosy cheeks, her adorable bob cut of auburn hair. She was so beautiful, inside and outside. Everything about her filled Frisk with an overwhelming desire. He never wanted to leave her. His strong, brave, sweet Chara.

"I love you," Chara whispered in his ear.

"I love you too."

They were tired, but they didn't want to stop. They kissed again. Chara gripped his shoulders and locked her lips with his, and then she pulled back and kissed around him, leaving a trail of kisses along his cheek. Frisk shuddered, intoxicated by Chara's touch and affection. He smiled, and he kissed Chara back the cheek. She smiled back, before leaning in for another deep, intimate kiss, their tongues sensually moving against each other. Frisk was so happy he could share this tender warmth with the girl he loved so much.

After a few more kisses, they pulled away, lying down on the bed beside each other. Frisk laughed. "Wow, Chara."

"Did you like it?"

"It was amazing."

She smiled her warm, priceless smile. "Yes, it was."

"I love you so much, Chara."

She gave him one more kiss on the cheek. "I love you too."

Chara got up to turn off the lights, and they tucked themselves into the bed. Frisk hugged her. "Good night, Chara."

"Good night, Frisk."

Together, they got some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Felicia wondered if they forgot she was still there, or simply didn't care.


	39. Get Out of My Head

**"Why do I always get the freaks?"**

**-Burgerpants**

* * *

As ordered, Nora and Nate reported to Jacob's office. He sat in his chair, starring daggers into them. They better have had a damn good explanation for yesterday.

"Nora, what the hell happened?" Jacob demanded.

"Nothing of consequence," Nora claimed. "They tried to get information out of me, but I didn't tell them a thing! I'd never!"

"It's true!" Nate exclaimed. "I was there! She didn't tell them anything!"

"And what  _were_ you doing?" Jacob inquired. "Maybe I can believe that demon and the flower got the better of Nora by herself, but with you backing her up? I don't think so."

He put his hands up. "Hey, I'm supposed to protect them, not kill them."

Jacob rolled his eyes. Nate knew perfectly well that wasn't his job. Frisk wasn't an ally to protect; he was an enemy to keep an eye on. Not that Nate was to be trusted anymore.

"How did they even detect Nora?" Jacob questioned.

Nate had no response. That was as good a confession as any. Jacob folded his arms. "Nora, what information did they try to get out of you?"

"They were trying to incriminate you," Nora said. "They believe you were involved in Boaris's act of terror, and they wanted me to leak evidence."

That seemed plausible enough, not that Nora had any hard evidence to incriminate him with. Still, something told Jacob there was more to it. "Why did they give up so easily? Seems like a lot of work to take you down and leave empty-handed."

She laughed nervously. "Uh, well… I guess, umm…"

Jacob knew it. He had no idea how it happened, but Nora had turned against him too. She was working with them now, wasn't she? He thought Nora understood what had to be done. He thought she would help him obliterate monsterkind, but she had gone soft. He couldn't stand to look at her another second. He jumped out of his seat and shot his finger towards the door. "Get the hell out of my office!"

She whimpered. "J-Jacob?"

"I said get out!"

She shook her head. "Jacob, I know this looks bad, but I swear I'm still on your –"

"Get out, or I'll have security throw you out!"

With a dejected look on her face, Nora began to slink her way out of the office. Nate just stood there, looking stupid.

"You too, Nate."

"Jacob…"

"GO!"

Nate grimaced. "Screw it." He ran to Nora and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to the desk.

Nora blinked. "Nate? What are you doing?"

Nate stared at Jacob with a gravely serious expression. "Jacob, listen! I don't care if you don't believe me, but Chara showed us something incredible. You asked us to find out where her new soul came from. Well, we did. We know exactly whose soul it is."

Jacob paused. They really found out? Well, why didn't they say so? Perhaps they could redeem themselves after all. "Who? Who is the poor soul trapped within the demon?"

"Jacob… it's Felicia. Chara has your sister's soul."

… Felicia? No, that was impossible. Felicia was dead and gone. They were just making it up, a ridiculous, desperate excuse to cover up their betrayal, a sick one at that.

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" he growled. "How dare you insult Felicia's memory with such a lie!"

"He's not lying!" Nora shouted. "She was there! She talked to us, Jacob! She –"

Jacob couldn't listen to another word of this. He wound up his arm and struck Nora, slapping her hard across her lying face. She squealed and held her reddened cheek, more in shock than in pain. "Jacob…"

How could they? How could they try to use his dead sister against him? Were they even trying anymore? Either way, Jacob was done with them. There were plenty of other officers who would follow orders without question. Yes, it was time he washed his hands of these traitors.

Jacob held out his hand. "Give me your badge."

Nora's eyes widened. "You can't be serious…"

He turned to Nate. "You too."

Nate grimaced. "What the hell, Jacob?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Heartbreak was written all over Nora's face. She kept shaking her head. "Jacob, please! I'd never lie to you! You  _know_  I'd never lie to you!"

No matter how hard she pleaded, Jacob would not let her sway him. He remembered the things she said while Boaris carried out his part of the plan. She had turned against him then, and she had turned against him now. She couldn't be trusted. Everything she had done for him didn't matter anymore. She had thrown it all away because she suddenly had a foolish, irrational attack of conscience. Her betrayal made Jacob's heart scream in agony. He wanted her out of his sight, now.

"Hand it over, Nora."

"I... I'm still..."

He wasn't going to say it again.

Tears welled up in Nora's purple eyes. She slowly reached for her badge, and with a shaking hand, she placed it in Jacob's hand.

Meanwhile, Nate held his badge and stared bitterly at it. "So, that's it? After all these years, you're just going to cast us aside like it's nothing? Some friend you are."

"I could say the same."

With clenched teeth, Nate dropped the badge into Jacob's hand. Jacob took the two badges and placed them on his desk. "Nora Miller and Nathan Miller, effective immediately, you are both hereby discharged from the Human Government Military Police. Turn in all your allocated assets to the requisitions office and vacate the premises."

Nora sobbed, tears were running down her face. "Jacob, don't do this…"

"You did this."

Nate held Nora's shoulder. "Let's go, Nora."

Quietly, Nate led Nora out of the office. Before they left, Nate turned back to Jacob. He stared him down with his yellow eyes, and he punched him hard in his nose. Jacob painfully recoiled from the blow, and Nate walked out of the office with Nora, leaving Jacob to himself.

Jacob sunk back into his seat and held his bloody nose, trying to ignore the growing sobs from outside. His heart turned to lead. Why were those brats so good at turning his own friends against him? First Nate, and now Nora. He  _never_ thought Nora would betray him. Ever since Felicia's death, she had always been there for him. How could she, of all people, do this to him? He trusted her more than anyone. She… she promised she'd always protect him.

Jacob buried his face into the desk. Was he really wrong? Was it wrong to keep Earth safe? For fuck's sake, it was just common sense! Imagine if a nuclear missile could be effortlessly created and launched by just two people. Anytime, anywhere. That's what monsters were, except they even  _more_  dangerous than nukes. Why didn't people understand that? Were they so fixated on social justice that basic common sense was lost on them? They were all idiots. Maybe they deserved to be killed by monsters.

Jacob lifted his head, and he saw something. He wasn't alone.

He felt a chill run down his spine. Out of nowhere, a monster had appeared in his office. It was some kind of ghostly skeleton, with a cracked skull, wearing a black suit, and… oh, God, were those  _holes_ in his hands? What the hell?! Was this even real?!

The skeleton gave him a creepy smile. "Greetings, Mr. President."

He did his best to compose himself. "Who are you and how the hell did you get in here?"

The skeleton lifted his hand, and a purple light flashed from it. It struck him, making him feel dizzy and nauseous. He covered his eyes. What was this?

Whatever it was, it stopped. Jacob opened his eyes, and the skeleton was still there, smiling smugly at him. Jacob wasn't going to let this intrusion continue. He opened his drawers and pulled out his pistol, lining it up with the monster's skull. "Leave! Now!"

"Aww, but we have so much to discuss."

He cocked the gun and undid the safety. "Last warning!"

The stupid skeleton kept smiling. "I think I'll stay a while."

Jacob didn't know what he was trying to pull, but it was his funeral. This monster was going to pay for disturbing him. He pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

**MISS**

What?

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

**MISS**

**MISS**

**MISS**

The bullets just phased right through, leaving the monster unharmed. He  _was_ hitting him, wasn't he? Why wasn't it working? Why wouldn't he die?!

"Now, now," the monster taunted. "There's no need to be rough. I just want to have a nice, pleasant chat. Stay calm, and we'll have a good time."

… oh, right. If he was a ghost, there was no way Jacob could hurt him. All physical attacks would fail against an incorporeal entity. Ghosts, however, still had magic, and that was perfectly effective against humans. He couldn't hurt the monster, but the monster could hurt him.

Jacob's gun trembled in his hand. "N-Nora! Nate! Somebody, help! There's an intruder in here!"

The monster made no reaction, and neither did anyone outside. Why wasn't anyone coming? Jacob pressed the panic button hidden in his desk, but it wasn't working.

"Security!" Jacob screamed. "Your president is in danger! Do your jobs, damn it!"

But nobody came.

"Oh, there will be no distractions," the monster said. "There's no one else here. It's just you and me. Although, I find it very interesting that you ask Nora and Nate for help. Didn't you just fire them?"

"Where is everyone?" Jacob breathed. "What have you done?!"

"This isn't really your office. I am directly interfacing with your mind. Save for you and me, everything you see here is merely a memory."

A memory? What? This monster was in his mind? What was he doing? "Who  _are_ you?" Jacob demanded.

He pointed to himself. "Who, me? Why, I am the Ghost of Christmas Past." He laughed. "Just kidding. My name is Dr. W.D. Gaster, King Asgore's former Royal Scientist."

"Never heard of you."

"Very few people have. Ah, but I didn't come here to talk about myself. No, this is all about  _you_ , Jacob Malcom."

He wanted to run, but he knew there was no escape. "What do you want from me?"

Gaster moved closer, floating on top of his desk. "You have some interesting theories regarding the darkness. You hypothesize that this power is granted to monsters with seven human souls' worth of determination. If that is the case, however, I find it curious that Boaris did not use it during his show of force, don't you?"

What? How did he explicitly remember what Boaris did? No, he was bluffing.

"Ah, yes," Gaster said. "I know what happened. Boaris primarily used fire in his attack. Explosions when he felt impatient, his axe against Gerson, but mostly fire. He could have made it quick and painless, but he really wanted to  _burn_ it into their memory."

What  _was_ this guy? Where did he come from?

Gaster continued speaking. "While Boaris may have killed almost everyone on the planet, he did not consume the timeline. That is very different from the power of darkness you claim monsters can wield. No, I think we both know the beings truly capable of such power. You know the prophecy, don't you? While I would normally advise against allowing fairy tales to replace scientific fact, the Prophecy of the Demon has some truth to it. Demons are real, and they can bring an end to everything. I have seen it."

He had seen it? "What do you mean you've seen it? How is that possible?"

"Perhaps you would like to see it?" Gaster suggested. "It is very, very interesting. Here, let me show you."

Gaster held out his hands, and Jacob's office faded away, replaced by the Underground. Jacob was standing in the Core, and he saw a trail of dust, the remains of dead monsters. He looked down the path and saw a lone human fighting – slaughtering – every monster in his path. Jacob looked closer at the human. It was Frisk, or perhaps Chara inside Frisk. Either way, they were  _not_ doing what they did in reality. They turned every monster in sight to dust, showing no remorse. It was a massacre.

"What the hell is this?!" Jacob demanded. "I'm pretty sure this isn't what they did down here."

"This is another world," Gaster explained. "Well, my memory of it, to be precise. Here, Frisk is acting a  _little_  different, as you can see. With every monster he kills, he feeds more power to Chara, and soon, they will reach the absolute. Chara will become an ascendant demon, and she will destroy everything."

Destroy everything? Jacob knew that demon wasn't to be trusted. Frisk was a fool.

Gaster fast-forwarded the memory, speeding through more kills. The only monster that gave the psychotic kids any real trouble was Sans, but after several resets, he fell just like the rest. Then, after a strange detour to Chara's coffin, they walked inside the throne room and mercilessly killed Asgore. Gaster then played the memory at normal speed. Asriel appeared and destroyed Asgore's soul, and then he pathetically begged Chara for his life, claiming that he never betrayed her. In response, Chara brutally tore Asriel to pieces until there was nothing left.

Jacob could relate.

With Asriel dead, Chara's essence flowed out of Frisk and manifested into her own body. She smiled at Frisk and thanked him. After a brief speech about power, Chara told Frisk to let them 'erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.'

With a sadistic smile on his own face, Frisk accepted, and Chara's demonic eyes sparkled in glee. "Right. You are a great partner. We'll be together forever, won't we?"

Jacob was disgusted. What were those stupid kids hoping to gain from this? How could anyone want to destroy everything? There was absolutely no reason for this. It was unacceptable. Unacceptable! He didn't care that they couldn't hear them. He stepped forward and screamed. "What are you idiots doing?!"

Chara turned to face him.

… what? But, he thought…

Tar dripped out of Chara's hollow eyes, and her mouth spread open into an impossibly wide smile. She laughed a demonic, bloodcurdling laugh. She lunged at him, with a laughing, melting demon face.

Jacob screamed like a little girl, shielding his face behind his arms

Eventually, Jacob heard a tearing sound. He looked all around and saw nothing but big red nines, and then nothing. All that remained was a black abyss, with just himself and Gaster.

Jacob was still shaking. Gaster floated next to him, still smiling. "Feeling overwhelmed already? We're just getting started."

There was more? Jacob didn't want to see anything else this monster had to show him. He shook his head. "Go away. Please."

"You just witnessed the destruction of a timeline, the calamity you blame monsters for. However, as you have seen, it is demons who wield such power."

"So what? That doesn't mean monsters aren't dangerous too."

For once, the skeleton wore a straight face. "True. This doesn't change what monsters are capable of. In order to end the existential threat posed by soul absorption, either humans or monsters must be eliminated." The bastard smiled again. "However, the threat of demons can only be ended if humanity is eliminated. So, if one race must be destroyed, it would make more sense to destroy humanity and end both threats, don't you think?"

What was wrong with this freak? "You want to destroy humanity?"

"No, I'm just making an observation, that's all. You want to destroy monsterkind in the name of a safe Earth, despite the fact that Earth would be safer if humanity were destroyed instead. That's rather biased if you ask me."

"Go to hell. You and your kind."

"Although," Gaster said, "you didn't always feel that way, did you? I would say that the death of Felicia was a major turning point, would you not?"

He was bringing up Felicia now? Jacob couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes and covered his ears "Get out!" he screamed. "Get out of my head!"

Gaster didn't budge. "When Felicia died, so did your hope for peace. You convinced yourself that Felicia died for a reason, that her death was necessary to keep humanity safe. Well, what if I told you that Felicia didn't just die? What if I told you… she was murdered?"

He was lying. He had to be lying. He clenched his hands tight. "Get out of my head!"

"And the murderer," Gaster went on, "was none other than Elizabeth Malcom, your mother."

Mom?! No, no! He was lying! He was lying!

"Not without help, of course," Gaster said. "She had a powerful warrior mage named Monty do most of the dirty work for her, but your mother was the mastermind behind Felicia's death."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head!"

"Felicia suffered greatly by the time it was over. She died hundreds of times before letting go. It was very tragic."

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"You don't seem to believe me. Perhaps I can jog your memory a bit."

"What? No, don't!"

Gaster held out his hand and hit Jacob with the purple beam again. His vision went blank, and when it returned, Jacob was back in his childhood home. He was sitting at the dining room table, with Felicia, his parents, and the Millers.

The room was filled with shocked confusion. With a deep breath, Felicia announced that she had seen Jacob die, and she pinned the blame on Chef Kawasaki. She ordered him to drink some of the tea, implying that it was poisoned. Kawasaki tried to worm his way out of it, but Felicia wasn't having it. Eventually, Kawasaki sighed, pulled out a knife… and stabbed Felicia in the chest.

Jacob's hear stopped. He knew this was just a memory, but it felt too real. No, it wasn't even a memory. Gaster had to be fabricating this somehow. There was no way Mom would ever hurt Felicia! Mom would never do this! Never!

"Felicia eventually got the better of this assassin," Gaster commented. "However, she did not fare as well against the next."

_Click!_

Everything went blank again, and Jacob found himself in a dark room. He was hiding under a bed. His heart was racing and his breaths were rapid. Cold sweat trickled down his face. He was terrified, but what was he hiding from?

He heard the sound of glass breaking. Someone had broken the window and jumped in the room. A man with long brown hair and red eyes. He was wearing a Military Police uniform, and he was brandishing a sword. He looked around the room for a while. It wasn't long before he spotted Jacob. He chuckled. "Under the bed? Seriously?"

Jacob cowered as far back as he could as the assassin reached under the bed. He couldn't escape. The assassin seized Jacob's ankle. He screamed and flailed around, but he was too weak. Jacob was pulled out into the open. He frantically rolled over and got back to his feet, and he turned just in time to see the assassin thrust his sword. Jacob felt cold steel impale his chest...

The memory paused. "This is the one that got her," Gaster said. "The assassin named Monty. He gave Felicia such a bad time that she couldn't take it anymore, but she didn't go down without a fight. Felicia and her friends fought valiantly to defeat him. Nora, Nate, Flora, John, Eva, they all died many times trying to save her, but in the end, she decided that her life wasn't worth letting them suffer. She reset back to the beginning, and she let Elizabeth put a final end to her life, at least until Frisk eventually found her soul, and gave it to Chara."

_Click!_

Gaster sent Jacob back to his office. He floated over his desk again, still smiling. He didn't seem even the slightest bit disturbed by the horrific memories he had shown him. "As for you, I'm afraid there wasn't much you could do. You were just a scared, ten-year-old child. All you did was run and hide as Felicia was murdered over and over. You were powerless to stop it."

Jacob panted, clutching his chest. He still felt the pain from Monty's blade, but he refused to believe any of this. If this were real, Jacob would have helped her. He… he would have done something. He wouldn't have just run away, right?

… no. In his soul, Jacob knew all pf this was real. The memories were coming back. Felicia was murdered, and he couldn't save her.

Jacob sobbed. "Why? Why did Mom do this?"

Gaster gave off a judgmental aura. "You said it yourself: Felicia had to die."

With that, Gaster left as suddenly as he came. Jacob's face was the personification of horror. He slumped down in his chair. Gaster was right, wasn't he? Jacob had decided that Felicia needed to die. By extension, he had condoned her murder, even if he hadn't realized it. He might as well have killed her himself.

Jacob took a deep, trembling breath. He wished Nora and Nate were here. Turned out they were telling the truth after all. Why the hell didn't Gaster tell him that  _before_ he fired them? What a bastard.

Jacob balled up his fists. His stance on monsters hadn't changed, but he was wrong about Felicia. She didn't deserve to die. Mom… Elizabeth had gone way too far. She was going to pay for killing her.

Jacob picked up his phone. There was much to do. He was going to get Ebott's best investigators and prosecutors on this case. It was long overdue, but Elizabeth was going to answer for her crimes. He also had to find this Monty guy, and Kawasaki too. They all had to be brought to justice.

And, most importantly, Felicia needed to be saved from Chara.

* * *

Yesterday, Chara had almost died on an interdimensional journey to save an old scientist who accidently erased himself from existence, and what was her reward? Going back to school like it was any other day.

Chara sighed as she sat at her desk, only half-listening to Mrs. Yu's lecture. She couldn't focus. She still felt butterflies from last night with Frisk. She couldn't get him out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about his irresistible cuteness and his loving embrace. The warmth of his body, the sensation of his kiss. Who cared about all this stupid math? Chara just wanted to get out of this pointless class and see her sweetheart again!

She couldn't wait. She took out her phone and started texting him.

_Oh my god,_   _I can't stop thinking about you! I love you, Frisk!_

Frisk replied right away.  _Haha same here :)_

Just that simple message spread the stupidest grin on Chara's face.

Felicia scoffed.  _You two are so cheesy._

_I can't help it! He's so nice and sweet and cute and wonderful! I'm so happy to be with him! They say nice guys finish last, but that's just because people are stupid!_

_Okay, I get it. Calm down._

Chara laughed.  _Hey, you know how it is. You were in love once, were you not?_

_Mmh. Come to think of it, we did make Nora roll her eyes on several occasions._

_See? You understand._

_Well, maybe it's better when you're the one in love._

Chara did feel bad for her.  _It is a shame what happened. It seemed like you and Nate liked each other a lot._

_Yes, but I really am glad he found someone else._

_That's good, I suppose. Perhaps someday, you'll find someone else too._

_Maybe, assuming I ever get a new body._

_You will; I promise._

_Hmm…_

Chara sent Frisk another text.  _Want to see me again tonight? ;)_

_Can't wait!_

Felicia sighed.  _I just hope I get out of here before you decide to go further than kissing._

Chara was a bit surprised she brought that up, but she laughed it off.  _Felicia, I think it'll be a while until_ that  _happens._ _I'm sure you'll be out before then._

_And if I'm not? What if I'm still here years from now? You won't do it until I'm gone, right?_

_Uh…_

_You wouldn't make me see that, would you? Chara? Chara…? Chara!_

Chara exercised her right to remain silent.

_CHARA!_

She laughed.  _I'm kidding, don't worry! I'll make sure you have your own body before Frisk and I make sweet, tender love to each other. It'll be good motivation!_

Felicia growled.  _Oh, just do something productive, will you? We've still got a potential war on our hands, and here you are wasting time flirting with Frisk._

Chara would hardly call that time wasted, but she had a point. They had work to do. It was time to focus on the mission. She wondered how Gaster was doing. Had he told anyone about the demons yet?

Come to think of it, how was he going to prove it? After being erased, Gaster did not have any credibility with monsters, let alone humans. No one knew who he was. How was he going to prove anything?

Chara texted Sans.  _Hey, how's Gaster doing?_

It took a little while, but the reply came.  _gaster is having a really good time right now_

Note to self: always text Sans instead of calling him. Can't get voicemail pranked that way.  _Do you know how he's going to explain the_

"CHARA!" Mrs. Yu's voice boomed. "You know the rules! No texting in my classroom!"

Chara jumped and slid her phone back into her pocket. "My apologies!"

Yu shot her a scolding look. "Next time, it's mine."

_Ugh, teachers,_ Felicia groaned.  _Some things never change._

"Sorry," Chara whispered.

With that out of the way, Yu addressed the class. "Okay, everyone! Take out your assignments from yesterday and pass them to the left."

Chara froze. Homework? There was homework? Obviously, she hadn't done it. Anxiety welled up within Chara as everyone else took out their completed sheets of paper. She felt an overwhelming feeling of worthlessness as the student to her right handed her a stack of assignments, and she felt even worse as she passed it to her left, without adding her own work to the pile.

And apparently, Mrs. Yu had eagle vision. She loomed over Chara as she sat deep in her chair. "Chara, where's your assignment?"

Chara gulped. "I, uh, I… I didn't do it…"

Yu's face was filled with disappointment. "You didn't do it. I honestly expected more from you, Ms. Dreemurr."

Chara grew frustrated. She snapped at her. "Well,  _sorry_  I'm too busy trying to save the world!"

"You think you're funny? You just earned yourself a trip to detention."

Detention?! She had gotten detention?! No… Chara was normally a good student, when everything was normal at least.

"You can have lunch with Mr. Berkeley," Yu said.

Chara frowned and slumped into her seat. "Understood."

_Nice job._

_Shut up._

One of the snobbier students snickered. "The big bad demon's got detention."

Yu, always an equal opportunist, shot him a warning glare, her eyes burning hotter than the sun. "Do you want to join her, Mr. Quinn?"

He shut up.

This sucked. She wouldn't get to see any of her friends for today's lunch. Not Frisk, not Flowey, not Elodie. Just her, Mr. Berkeley, and whatever other delinquents who had earned themselves detention.

The rest of the class went by normally. Chara tried to keep up with the class, but she was so far behind. All this matrix math was foreign to her. Math was usually her best subject, too. It was humiliating!

Finally, the bell rang, and Chara was allowed to move on and serve her sentence. She walked the walk of shame to Mr. Berkeley's room. As she did, she texted Frisk and Flowey, letting them know she wouldn't be joining them for lunch.

_Yu gave me lunch detention! I'm stuck with Berkeley today. :(_

Flowey replied first.  _lol_

_Oh, screw you, Brother!_

Frisk texted back.  _Aww I'll miss you_

_Sorry, Frisk._

_But we'll still see each other tonight ;)_

Chara laughed. Yes, she would see them again soon. This detention wasn't a big deal. Though, Chara wondered what exactly happened in detention. What would they make her do? Write an essay? Extra homework? Community service? What were the consequences of incurring Ebott High's wrath?

She stepped into Mr. Berkeley's classroom. A few of her fellow prisoners were already there. In the room was Jeff, Jerry, and… Elodie?

Elodie saw her and smiled. Chara sat down in the seat next to her. "What are you doing here?" Elodie asked.

"Mrs. Yu," Chara replied simply. "What about you?"

Elodie cast an irritated glance at Jeff. "We got in another fight."

Chara looked at Jeff. His face was covered in bruises. Obviously, Elodie won.

"What –"

"Hey," Mr. Berkeley said. "You're not supposed to…" He yawned. "Oh, you know what? I don't care. Do whatever you want. Just don't try to kill each other." Berkeley proceeded to take a nap in his desk.

Okay, it looked like there weren't really any consequences for incurring Ebott High's wrath. She just had to sit in a room and behave for a while. What was the point of that? How was this supposed to teach her the error of her ways? Humans were so weird sometimes.

Chara looked back at Elodie. "Anyway, what happened?"

"We were arguing over monsters again," Elodie said. "After that last announcement by Malcom, Jeff is convinced that we are totally screwed if we don't do something about them. I told him not to be such a fatalist, and then he called me an idiot. We kept arguing, and I may have punched him in the face at one point, and he may have tried to punch me back, and I may have beaten the crap out of him. The rest is history."

Chara smiled. "Good work."

"I knew you'd approve!"

Jeff just averted his eyes as they talked, pretending he wasn't there.

Chara looked at Jerry. "So, what's he in here for?"

"For being Jerry."

"Understandable."

Jerry angrily tapped his phone. "This freaking Wi-Fi…"

Alright, time to get back to work. Chara went back to texting Sans.  _Do you know how Gaster will explain the demon thing?_

_don't worry about it_

_But, how will he? What hard evidence does he have?_

_gaster has his ways_

Why was Sans always so damn evasive? That skeleton just loved his secrets, didn't he? Him and Gaster. It was so annoying.

Chara figured she wasn't going to get much more out of him. She took out her binder and started resumed studying her math. She would catch up. She just… how did this work? She had to multiply the two matrices, but… they didn't have the same dimensions? How was that possible?

Elodie noticed her frustration. "Need some help?"

Chara didn't like to ask for help, but she needed it. She nodded. "Yeah."

"Here, it's actually simple once you get the pattern down."

Elodie guided her through the process, matching each row of matrix A with each column of matrix B and recording the sum of their products. It was somewhat tedious, but simple enough to understand now that Elodie had explained it to her. Once she felt confident, Chara worked through the rest of her assignment on her own. She'd finish it before lunch was over.

"Thanks, Elodie," Chara said. "Really, you've helped me a lot."

"No problem." Elodie looked down at her desk. She seemed sad about something.

"Something wrong?"

"Chara, there's something I feel like I should tell you. Don't laugh, okay?"

"No promises."

She smiled bittersweetly. "When I poisoned you, part of the reason I did it was to impress my dad. He seemed very interested in you. I assumed this was because he hated you, like I did. He was also a big Military Police guy back in his day, and I thought he would be proud of me if I took out the 'demon,' even if Frisk would just reset it. He, well, I guess you could say he was impressed, but he was also really mad at me. He said that you killing you wasn't the answer, and he encouraged me to make friends with you instead."

Felicia did a double take.  _Big… Military Police guy?_

"So, your dad encouraged you to befriend me?" Chara asked.

Elodie frowned. "Well, yes, but I  _am_ sorry, Chara! I was wrong about you! I know that now. I'm not being nice just because Dad said so. This is my choice."

Chara didn't mean to make her feel bad. "It's alright," she assured her. "I've already forgiven you, have I not? I don't care what changed your mind. We're friends now."

She looked relieved. "Thank you." She took a deep breath. "There's one more thing. He told me to ask you something, but I don't know what it means."

Elodie's dad wanted to ask her something? "Hmm? What is it?"

"I'm supposed to ask you… Do you know anyone named Felicia?"


	40. Dreams of Power

Chara stared at Elodie with her mouth wide open. Did she just… did she just ask about Felicia?

Her brain rapidly processed what it had been told. Who was a retired Military Police officer, was interested in demons, and had reason to believe Chara knew Felicia? There was only one possibility, wasn't there? She kept trying to think of an alternative explanation, but she kept coming to the same conclusion.

Felicia was no less shocked.  _Oh… my… god..._

Elodie clearly didn't know what was going on. She looked confused. "Chara? Are you alright?"

"Elodie," Chara whispered, "what's your father's name?"

"Uh, Monty."

And so she confirmed it. Elodie's adoptive father was Monty. Chara felt a chill run down her spine. What sick game was he playing this time?

Chara didn't know what to do. What did she say? What did she tell Elodie?

_Let me handle this._

Felicia was more decisive. Once again, she forced Chara's eyes shut and took over. "Elodie…"

"Chara?"

In the blink of an eye, Felicia forcefully grabbed Elodie's wrist and dragged her to the classroom's supply closet. She brought her inside and closed the door. It was just the three of them now, alone in the dark closet. Chara felt Elodie's pulse skyrocket. "Chara, what's wrong? Who's Felicia?"

"Elodie," Felicia said, "how do I put this nicely? Your father is basically Satan."

She blinked. "Wh-what? What are you talking about? My dad isn't Satan! What do you know about him?!"

"Let's start from the beginning," Felicia said. "You know how Chara came back from the dead? How do you think that was possible?"

"Wait, why did you just…?"

"Frisk found a human soul, my soul. He gave it to Chara, but I'm still here as well. Me, Felicia."

Elodie's green eyes widened. "You mean… you're Felicia? What? I don't understand."

Felicia tried to slow down and explain slowly. "Yes, I am Felicia. Right now, I'm sharing this body with Chara. She's still here; I've simply taken over the controls for now."

Elodie was still confused. "So, is this like, dissociative identity or something? Chara, I think you need help. It sounds like you have a case of split personality."

She shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. Frisk merged my soul with Chara's body, and our essences were linked. One body, one soul, but two essences."

_Felicia, are you sure you want to tell her all this?_

_Of course. Besides, it's a little late to back out now._

Chara hoped she knew what she was doing.

Understandably, Elodie was still having a hard time wrapping her head around this. "Okay, so let me make sure I've got this right. Frisk has Chara in his head, finds a soul, and puts it in Chara's body. Chara is revived, but there's also another person inside the soul."

"Correct."

"And now you and Chara are, like, a human amalgamate?"

"I suppose that's fairly accurate, minus the bodies melting together."

"Uh, wow," Elodie said. "This is, umm, this is really crazy."

"We already have Chara awakening from death," Felicia pointed out. "What's one more?"

"Heh, I guess you have a point there. So, uh, you're really Felicia? Umm, nice to meet you?"

"Nice to meet you too. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Elodie cast a nervous glance. "Yeah, about that. What were you saying about my dad?"

Felicia placed a hand on her shoulder. "Elodie, I know this will be difficult to accept, but your so-called father murdered me."

Elodie shivered at those words. "M-murdered? He… I know he's killed people, but they were bad guys! He wouldn't just kill an innocent person!"

"Sorry, but I'm telling you the truth. Thirty years ago, it was Monty who put an end to my life. My own mother ordered him to kill me, but he had plans of his own. He wanted to turn me into a demon."

"Wait, did you just say your  _mother_ had him kill you? Why would she do that?"

Felicia explained everything to Elodie. That she was the daughter of the former president Elizabeth Malcom, that she was once the World Master, and that her desire to liberate monsterkind drove Elizabeth to murder her. Mercifully, she only went into brief detail on the numerous deaths she suffered at Monty's hands.

Elodie couldn't believe what she was hearing, the horrifying lack of humanity from Elizabeth and Monty. "So, your own mother had you killed, because your political views didn't match up with hers?"

"To be fair, it is a matter that concerns the fate of the whole world, but yes."

"I can't believe this. I thought Elizabeth was a kind person. When my mother died, she helped me so much, and Dad… Dad! I don't understand! How could he do that?"

"I don't really understand, either," Felicia admitted. "He wanted the power of a demon, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to control that power. He doesn't make any god damn sense."

Elodie defiantly clenched her fists. "You know what? Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Why would I lie about this?" Felicia challenged. "What would I gain from it?"

"Well, maybe you're… you want to…" Rational thought failed Elodie. She threw her arms up. "AGH! I don't know! Maybe you're just crazy and want to see me suffer!"

Chara couldn't imagine how she felt. She had lost her mother but found a new father, only to find out that her father was a relentless killer. She just couldn't catch a break, could she?

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself," Felicia suggested. "I would very much like to meet your father, Elodie."

Chara was startled. That sounded reckless, to say the least.  _Felicia!_

Elodie shook her head. "Why? So you can kill him? No, I won't let you!"

Chara highly doubted that Monty was the one she needed to worry about.  _Felicia, think about this. Remember what I told you. We need to be smart about this. We can't just charge in blindly._

_He needs to die._

_And how will we make that happen? I may have magic, but I doubt I'm any stronger than Flora was. If we're going to do this, we need help._

_But…_

"Wait," Elodie said, "if what you say is true, then why did he ask about you? Why would he give himself away? Maybe you should try talking to him?"

"I don't want to hear a word that murderer has to say!" Felicia snapped.

Chara thought about it more calmly. It didn't seem like a trap. Without the president backing him up, Monty wouldn't get away with murder so easily this time, and even ignoring that, why would he attack? Chara was already a demon, so what did Monty want? Why was he still interested in Felicia when an actual demon was in plain sight?

Chara could only thing of one thing. Monty was stabbed in the back by Elizabeth, wasn't he? It seemed likely that Monty would want revenge, and if Felicia was still around, she would be his best chance. As much as Chara hated to admit it, it may have been wise to form a truce with Monty for the time being.

_Felicia, I think you should consider it._

_Why?!_

_He might be able to help with Elizabeth._

_I don't want any help from him!_

_I don't like it either, but we need to deal with Elizabeth. Remember, she's your true enemy._

Felicia thought this over silently for a while.

_It's worth a shot, isn't it? Let's just hear what he has to say, and then we can decide what to do about him._

…  _fine,_ Felicia growled.  _But don't expect me to be happy about it._ She sighed and looked at Elodie. "Alright, Chara changed my mind. I'll have a little chat with him, but no promises from there."

Elodie looked unsure how to feel about all this. "I want to hear Dad explain this himself. If everything you say is true, then… Oh, God..."

Felicia frowned. "I am sorry, but it's the truth."

Elodie held her head, overwhelmed by everything she had learned "I wouldn't be able to forgive him. It doesn't matter why he did it. To torture someone like that… that's unforgivable."

"I'm not lying to you. Monty murdered me, and I'm sure he will gladly tell you himself."

Elodie stood silently, gravely contemplating what was to come. "… when do you want to do it?"

"Today," Felicia said. "Once school is out, let's go to your home together."

"Okay… God, this doesn't feel real."

 _We should probably bring Frisk_ , Felicia said.  _You know, in case we need him to reset._

Chara didn't want to get Frisk involved if she could help it. She hated to put him in danger. However, hadn't she yelled at him once for rushing off into danger without her? She felt so bad about that now. As angry as she was, she may very well have done the same thing in his shoes. Chara swallowed her fears. She had to let Frisk come with her. Flowey, too. They would keep each other safe, like they always did. If Monty attacked, they wouldn't let him win this time _._

"We'll bring Frisk and Asriel as well," Felicia said. "So, it's settled then?"

Her body shaking, Elodie nodded. "Y-yeah, it's settled."

Felicia looked Elodie in her sad green eyes, and she pulled her into a tight embrace. "I really am sorry, Elodie. I know this hurts, but you needed to know."

Elodie stood still in Felicia's arms, conflicted about her feelings for the bearer of the cold, hard truth. Her whole body kept shaking, on the verge of tears. "This isn't real. Tell me this isn't real."

Felicia kept hugging her. "I'm sorry."

They stayed like that for quite some time. Eventually, Elodie managed to pull herself together and let go of Felicia. Chara was impressed she had regained her composure at all. She was a tough one.

"Alright," Elodie said. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah."

Felicia and Elodie opened the door and walked out of the closet. They sat back down in their seats, trying to pretend everything was perfectly normal. Jeff gave them a funny look, but fortunately, Mr. Berkeley was still fast asleep. They wouldn't be bothered.

Elodie looked at Felicia. "Hey, uh, can you let Chara switch back?" she whispered.

"Oh, right." She closed her eyes, and Chara was back in control. She looked at Elodie. "It's me."

"Chara?"

"Yes."

Elodie spoke in a hushed voice. "So, about this little friend of yours. Can she always… take over like that?"

Chara grew tense. "Yeah, if she puts her foot down, there's nothing I can do. However, it's not a problem." She hoped that was true. Felicia had promised that she would no longer force Chara to do anything against her will, but she still felt uneasy, knowing that Felicia could take control whenever she wanted. Chara hated being controlled.

"Do you trust her?" Elodie pressed.

Chara nodded. "Yes, I trust her. I admit, she's made some mistakes, but she's a good person at heart. She's been through hell, and I want to help her."

"So, she's kind of like you, huh?"

She shook her head. That wasn't a fair comparison at all. "No, I wasn't murdered. Felicia has Monty and Elizabeth to blame, but I only have myself to blame."

Elodie looked down in deep thought. "… honestly, I think this world is to blame. This world where great power can be obtained with so little. When all it takes is seven souls to create a god, how can there not be conflict? I think the true villain here is power itself. Not you, not the president, not Monty, just the unfortunate truth of this world."

 _She's still defending Monty?_ Felicia snarled.  _Oh, I have some words for that_ ,  _but I'll resist. She'll realize how wrong she is soon enough._

Chara understood what Elodie was saying. Soul absorption truly was the root of all their problems. Without that, there never would have been a Human-Monster War in the first place. Monsterkind wouldn't have been sealed Underground. Chara wouldn't have come up with her foolish plan, and Asriel wouldn't have died… Her sweet, precious brother never would have died.

And, Felicia would have been able to live her life peacefully. Monty and Elizabeth wouldn't have had any reason to kill her. Jacob wouldn't have been on a campaign to send monsters back Underground, and Boaris wouldn't have gone on his rampage. All this conflict, all this chaos, all because monsters could absorb human souls.

Still, that didn't mean everyone was blameless. Regardless of her reasoning, Elizabeth murdered her own daughter, and Monty tortured her, trying to force a power onto her that she didn't want. Perhaps the volatile nature of this world could explain their actions, but it didn't excuse them.

Chara sighed. Imagining such a paradise would do her no good. She had to remain focused on reality. In just a few hours, she was going to meet the blade that severed Felicia's life. She hoped she was ready; she hoped Felicia was ready.

Chara and Felicia both anxiously kept their eyes on the clock.

* * *

After a long day of school, the bell finally rang. All the students eagerly got out of their seats, ready to go home. As soon as he walked out of the classroom, Frisk received another text message from Chara.

_Frisk, I need you. Something important just came up. Please meet me by the main entrance._

Whatever it was, it sounded serious. Frisk quickly walked through the halls towards the school's main exit, wasting no time. He couldn't keep Chara waiting.

Before he reached the exit, someone stepped in front of him and blocked his way. It was Jeff. He gave Frisk an evil smile. "Hey, Frisk."

What was he doing? Frisk didn't have time for this. "Out of my way, Jeff! My beloved needs me!"

He laughed. "Oh, your beloved? Your beloved you say? Funny, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

Frisk wasn't kidding. He tried to move around him, but he shifted his body and kept blocking the way. "Where are you going? I think you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Frisk shook his head. "No, I really don't."

Jeff told him anyway. A wide grin spread across his face. "Chara's cheating on you."

He didn't believe that for a second. "Pfft, sure she is."

"Why, I saw it myself, and you'll never guess who she did it with. It was none other than Elodie. During detention, Chara grabbed Elodie's arm and took her into the closet, where they could be alone." He dramatically straightened his glasses. "That can only mean one thing."

"Maybe they just wanted to get away from you," Frisk sniped.

"Why are you so surprised? Elodie may have gone in the closet, but she's never been  _in the closet,_ if you catch my drift."

There were so many things wrong with that. Frisk sighed in disgust. "Oh my god, Jeff. Just because Elodie likes girls doesn't mean she's trying to steal your girlfriend."

"Oh, of course! She's not stealing  _my_ girlfriend; she's stealing yours!"

Frisk had enough of this. "Would you just get out of my –"

"Hey! Is this guy bothering you?"

It was Asriel. He crawled up beside Frisk. "What are you doing talking to this loser, Frisk? Let's go!"

"Gladly," Frisk replied.

Jeff didn't relent. "Just accept it, Frisk! This 'love' you think you have with Chara is a lie! You're nothing more than a toy for her own amusement. She's just waiting for the perfect moment to break your –"

"Hey," Asriel said. "I'm only going to say this once: get out of the way."

Jeff stepped towards him. "Make me."

"Okay."

Asriel shot out his vines and grabbed Jeff, lifting him up in the air. Jeff screamed and struggled, to no avail. Asriel carried him outside of the school. He brought him to the nearest trash can, and he dunked him inside. Jeff' groaned as he slammed headfirst into the trash, his legs dangling out from the top of the can.

Asriel laughed. "Yeah! Get dunked on! Ha, that feels good to say!"

A nauseated moan rang out from the can. Several of their classmates witnessed the event, but no one felt bad for him. Among the bystanders was Jerry. The saucer-shaped monster laughed and pointed a tentacle at the can. "Haha! Wow, Jeff! You suck!"

Frisk smiled. "Thanks, Asriel."

"No problem," he replied.

Frisk winked. "Just what I'd expect from my future brother-in-law."

Asriel groaned. "Do I need to toss you in the trash too?"

"Aww, but I love you, Brother."

"Yeah, well, let's get going."

"Yes, Chara's waiting for us."

With that little obstacle out of the way, Frisk and Asriel moved on and looked for Chara. They found her quickly. Like she said, she was waiting for them near the school's front door. Elodie was with her.

Frisk approached them. Normally, he would have greeted Chara with a flirty remark, but the somber look on her face made it clear that the situation really was serious. It was no time for jokes. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Frisk," Chara said, "we found out where Monty is."

They found Monty? "Really? How?" He looked at Elodie. "Wait, you told Elodie?"

Chara frowned. "More like she told us."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Frisk… Monty is Elodie's father."

Monty was… what? Frisk's eyes widened. Did she really just say…?

"Yes, you heard that correctly," Chara said.

Frisk shuddered. So, that's what Chara was doing with Elodie. This just got a lot more complicated, didn't it? "Oh, Elodie. Are you okay?"

Elodie laughed bitterly. "Hell no."

Asriel was surprised too, but in a less emotional way. "Golly. That sucks, doesn't it?"

Frisk looked back at Chara. "How did you find out?"

Chara quickly went over what happened while she was in detention, how Elodie brought up her dad, and how Felicia explained pretty much everything in response. Elodie knew everything now.

This was no small shock. Frisk felt so bad for her. "Elodie, I'm so sorry."

"I still need to hear it from him," Elodie said. "Then, I'll know how to feel about this."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Asriel asked.

Chara breathed deeply. "We're going to see him, right now."

Whoa, whoa! What were they doing? "We are?!" Frisk exclaimed. "But, he's dangerous!"

"We don't plan on fighting," Chara said. "Not yet, anyway. For now, we're just going to find out what he wants, and then we'll decide what to do about him."

So, they were really doing this. It was time to confront Monty. Frisk hadn't expected this to happen so soon. He was more than a little scared. He certainly didn't want to suffer the same fate as Felicia. Although, Frisk was still under government surveillance, wasn't he? Nate was probably watching them right now. If Monty tried anything, the Military Police would come running.

Frisk nodded. "Alright, we've got Nate and his squad will be right behind us."

Chara's eyes lit up. "Oh, I didn't even think of that. Yes, that should help. Especially if Nora's there. She's gotten a lot stronger in the past thirty years."

Frisk decided to call them to make sure. He took out his phone and dialed Nate.

He answered, but he didn't sound very happy. "Uh, Frisk?"

"Hey, Nate. Just letting you know there's a chance we might run into some trouble soon."

"Oh, I won't be following you anymore, Frisk."

That wasn't what Frisk was expecting. "Huh?"

"Jacob just fired me. Nora, too."

Frisk heard Nora yell in the background. "I need a drink!"

They were fired? Well, maybe that wasn't too surprising. Frisk had basically converted Nate to his side. Not Nora so much, though. Frisk wasn't sure why Jacob fired her. Regardless, he felt a little bad for them. He didn't mean for them to lose their jobs.

"So, is no one following me anymore?" Frisk asked.

"Oh, you're still being watched. Just not by me. Agent Clark is probably in charge now. You remember her, don't you? You had Undyne paralyze her a while back. Don't worry, I don't think she's holding a grudge or anything."

Hmm, so the Military Police was still watching him, just not Nate or Nora. It would have to suffice.

"Well, sorry about that," Frisk apologized.

Nora kept talking to Nate in the background, "Hey, why don't we go to that… what's it called? That Grillby's place? I hear they have good drinks!"

"Not your fault," Nate said. "It was Jacob's de –"

"Come on, Nate! Let's go!"

"But Nora, you hate monsters."

"As long as the beer's good, I don't give a damn who serves it!"

"U-uh, I'll see you around, Frisk."

Nate hung up.

"Damn," Chara said. "I suppose we should have seen this coming. Still, that's harsh."

Asriel grew impatient. "Oh, let's just go already."

"Wait." Frisk wanted to try one more person. He texted Sans and asked him for help.

_don't worry kid. gaster will keep an eye socket on ya_

Gaster? Gaster was going to watch over them? Frisk didn't know how strong Gaster was, but if Sans was confident about it, then he must have been pretty strong. He was sure that they were in good hands… even if they had holes in them.

Alright. Frisk steadied his nerves. It was time to get going. "Okay, let's go."

With their preparations complete, they finally began the walk to Elodie's home. Elodie led them down the city's streets. Frisk looked around as they walked. They weren't the only ones feeling tense. As tensions between humans and monsters continued to strain, a feeling of dread loomed over the entirety of Ebott City. The humans tended to keep their distance from monsters as they walked by each other, and both races eyed each other with distrust. Frisk got the feeling they were running low on time.

They kept moving. Elodie brought them to an unassuming apartment complex. She led them to her building and went up the stairs, and then they stood in front of the door to her apartment. It looked like a perfectly ordinary apartment, giving away no sign that it was home to a crazed lunatic obsessed with demons.

"This is it," Elodie said.

Despite his efforts not to, Frisk began to feel nervous, and Chara looked even worse. She stared at the door, with an expression full of fear.

Frisk looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Chara's body shivered, and her breaths grew deep and heavy. She looked sick. "I…"

Felicia collapsed to her knees. All the terrible memories were rushing back to her. "I can't do this…"

Frisk couldn't imagine how she felt. He bent down and held her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. "It's okay. I won't let him hurt you again."

Felicia closed her eyes, wishing she were somewhere else. "I… I'm so w-weak. C-couldn't face him back then, can't face him now."

Elodie just stared in horror, unable to believe that the one she considered her father could cause so much pain.

Frisk held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Felicia, you can do this."

She shook her head. "Stop trying to help... you'll just get hurt."

Frisk felt a pit in his stomach. That was how Monty beat her. It wasn't just the pain she felt; it was watching other people suffer for her sake. Trying to help her might have only made her feel worse, but doing nothing couldn't have been the answer, either. What did Frisk do? How could he convince her that she was worth saving?

"… Felicia," Elodie said, "if you told me the truth, then I need you to do this. You're not the only one Monty's hurt."

Frisk nodded. "Yes, this isn't just your fight. We want to help you, and we need you to help us. Don't think for a second that you're being selfish. We're in this together now."

Felicia wiped her eyes, and she looked back at him "You really need me?"

"Yes, we need you."

She stood back up. "Ha… ha… I see why Chara likes you so much."

"You came this far," Asriel said. "Don't run away now. Get on with it, already. I want to see what's next."

Felicia found her strength. She stared at the door, her red eyes full of determination. "Alright, I'm ready… Do it."

With a deep breath, Elodie inserted her key and opened the door. She walked inside. "Dad, I'm home, and I brought guests."

"Guests, you say?"

Felicia clenched her fists, her blood boiling upon hearing that voice again.

They stepped into the apartment's living room, and for the first time, Frisk saw Monty. Undoubtedly, he had aged quite a bit over the past thirty years. He must have been about sixty years old. His long brown hair was turning gray, but his eyes still burned red. He smiled at them. "Well, well. It's your new friends. Chara Dreemurr, Asriel Dreemurr, and Frisk. A princess, a prince, and the World Master. Should I bow?"

Felicia could hardly contain her rage. "Why, yes! Please, bow before us. Properly. Make sure your neck is nice and exposed."

He laughed. "Yes, that is the gesture's purpose, but you're not Chara, are you? It's been a long time, Felicia."

Elodie trembled. "Monty, is it true? Did you really… did you…?"

"I offered to make her powerful," Monty answered. "She wouldn't cooperate, so I had to persuade her."

Damn, he didn't even try to hide it. Even after all this time, there wasn't a single hint of remorse in his voice. Felicia screamed with all her wrath. "You're a fucking murderer!"

Elodie clutched her chest, her heart broken once again. "So, it's true… Wh-why, Monty? How could you?"

"It really is unfortunate," Monty said, "what Elizabeth did. If it weren't for her, Felicia would have absolute power by now, and she could have solved all of the world's problems. But, I'm afraid neither Elizabeth nor Felicia could see the big picture."

"You wanted me to kill!" Felicia yelled. "No power is worth innocent lives!"

"This one is, and it's not too late. You have Chara now. If I were you, I'd be racking up some EXP. Make Chara strong, until she attains power beyond our comprehension. Mortal weapons would be worthless against her. She could erase anyone in the world with a thought. With that power, monsterkind will never be threatened again."

Frisk could hardly believe it. This guy was as crazy as Felicia said he was. As Felicia had said, his plan wouldn't have brought true peace. They couldn't force humans and monsters to get along through fear. It wasn't right, even ignoring all the people they'd have to kill.

"No one should have that power," Felicia said. "I don't want it! I don't need it!"

Monty rolled his eyes. "Oh, there it is. 'No one should have that power.' They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, and it does have some truth to it. It is very hard to find an altruistic dictator. Humanity does suck, after all. However, I don't see it as corruption. I see it as revealing one's true nature. Power isn't a problem if given to the right person, but far too often, it falls into the wrong hands. Don't you want power to fall in the right hands for once?"

Chara regained control of her body. She scowled at Monty. "Are you not listening? Felicia doesn't want that power."

"Perhaps that's why she's perfect for it."

"Doesn't matter. Felicia made her choice, but you tried to choose for her. She called you a devil, but that's not accurate. A devil doesn't take your soul by force; it tries to tempt you with a deal. But you? You wouldn't stop tormenting her until she submitted. You're worse than a devil."

Frisk silently cheered for her.  _Yeah! You tell him, Chara!_

"Ah, gee," Asriel said. "Now that? That's a burn right there."

Monty sighed. "What good is comparing me to a mythical creature? A devil isn't trying to do what is necessary. You, of all people, should understand why we need this power."

Chara grimaced. "I admit, you terrify me. You remind me too much of myself. Your way of thinking is disturbingly similar to my own in the past. However, that is no longer the case. I've learned that not every conflict should be resolved with violence. Oftentimes, a different path is more suited."

Monty smiled again. He was clearly waiting a long time for this day. "What about me? Am I a problem you must solve with violence?"

"Perhaps," Chara said, "but perhaps not yet. I know you wouldn't have sent for Felicia without a reason. For now, I believe we can reach an agreement that benefits both of us. I propose we temporarily cast our differences aside and work together to deal with Elizabeth Malcom."

Monty grinned and pointed his finger at her. "I knew you were a smart one, Chara. Yes, you know what I want. If you are willing to delay your revenge against me, we can help each other get revenge against our common enemy. Elizabeth Malcom must be eliminated."

That didn't sound like Monty. He was many things, but vengeful didn't strike Frisk as one of them. "Why do you care what happens to her?" he asked.

"Ah. of course," Monty said. "It's not just about revenge. Someone really does have to do something about her. How do you think my stupid brother got Felicia's soul? Obviously, Elizabeth gave it to him. Not only that, how do you think his ragtag band of terrorists were so well-armed? She was funding them, so they could terrorize monsters."

Seemed logical. Still, as if Elizabeth weren't horrible enough already. Killing her daughter wasn't enough, now she had to go after random monsters. Frisk couldn't imagine being so heartless.

"Oh, by the way," Monty said, "my brother is dead because of you."

"Yeah," Frisk said. "He splattered all over me."

"Thanks! That guy was a dick."

Wow. Monty really didn't seem to care at all that his brother died. Not that either of them were particularly good people.

"Anyway," Monty said, "how long do you think it will be until Elizabeth strikes again? It's only a matter of time until she finds some other fools willing to kill for her, especially with the way things are currently going. She'll launch attacks all over the world, trying to scare monsterkind back Underground, where they can be destroyed once and for all."

Wait, destroyed? "What?!" Frisk exclaimed. "I thought Jacob just wanted them back Underground, not wiped out."

Monty laughed. "Oh, you naïve child. Do you really think Jacob will be satisfied with that? No. If he did that, they would just break out again. Make no mistake. His plan isn't to exile them. His plan is genocide. To people like him, that's the only way to ensure humanity's safety."

Was he right? Did Jacob really want to destroy monsterkind? If that were true, then there was one thing that didn't add up. "But, then why did Boaris help him?"

"Obviously, Boaris isn't privy to that little detail," Monty said. "For some reason, he actually believes everything Jacob told him. For someone who's lived for thousands of years, Boaris is surprisingly short-sighted. Then again, I suppose you don't become president without having some level of charisma."

Felicia couldn't possibly have been happy to hear that. Jacob trying to exile monsterkind was bad enough, but genocide? That was… could they ever hope to redeem him? Could they ever change his mind?

"I did suspect that," Chara said, "but Felicia… isn't happy."

That was one way to put it. Felicia and Elodie were both having a  _very_  bad day… Speaking of Elodie, how was she doing? Frisk checked on her. Not very well. She couldn't even look at Monty anymore.

Frisk glared at him. "Why did you bring her into this?"

"Oh, Elodie?" Monty asked. "No special reason. When Felicia's drunkard of a father accidently killed her mother, I took pity on her, so I took her in. It's as simple as that."

"Really?" Chara asked. "You felt bad for her? Why do I have a hard time imagining that?"

Monty shrugged. "What? I can't have a charitable side? I'm human too, you know."

"And am I to believe it's just a coincidence that she poisoned me?"

"Well, it  _is_  quite the coincidence that she's about the same age as you. Perhaps it's synchronicity. Who knows? As for the act itself, I did encourage her to get close to you, but even I didn't expect her to try and kill you. I can't believe I slipped up. I said it myself, after all. Green souls make excellent killers."

After hearing that, something snapped within Elodie. Her fists clenched tightly. "Monty, how could you say that about me?"

He smiled at her. "It's a compliment. You were trying to impress me, weren't you? And you did. You performed flawlessly. Chara didn't see it coming."

With a bloodcurdling scream, Elodie summoned her magic scepter. She was going to attack. Quickly, Frisk and Chara grabbed each of her arms. "Elodie, no!" Frisk shouted. "He'll kill us!"

"Not yet!" Chara exclaimed. "We'll get our chance, but not today."

"What's wrong with you?!" Elodie screamed. "How can you treat people's lives so lightly?! You're insane! I feel so stupid for not realizing it sooner!"

Monty's smile did not fade. "Ah, that's hurtful, my daughter."

"Don't you fucking call me that!"

"Elodie, please," Frisk whispered. "I know you're angry, but we can't fight here. Be better than him."

Elodie whimpered. She went limp in Chara and Frisk's grasp. "This isn't fair. It isn't."

"Well," Monty said, "let's hurry up and get to business, shall we? Remember, lives are at stake here, and people's lives must not be taken lightly."

… wow. Frisk had no words.

Chara was eager to get this over with. "How can we stop Elizabeth?"

"Simple," Monty said. "We throw the book at her. Elizabeth is guilty of murdering her own child, as well as supporting terrorism. Either of these is more than enough to lock her up her for the rest of her life. The challenge, of course, is proving it. That's where we have to work together."

Something else didn't add up. "Wait a minute," Frisk said. "If we do this, that would expose your crimes as well. Even if you never laid a finger on Felicia in this timeline, you're still guilty by conspiracy."

"Yeah, and it'll be totally worth it."

Really? Monty was perfectly willing to incriminate himself? That seemed questionable. What was going on in his head? Frisk had a bad feeling about this. He was a very forgiving person, but even he knew that Monty didn't deserve to simply walk away.

"Don't you feel any shame?" Frisk asked. "Don't you realize how much pain you've caused?"

"Sure," Monty answered. "I know how much pain I've caused, but do I regret it? No. If I had my way, the Boaris Burning never would have happened, and if war breaks out, that is only the beginning."

… Frisk had to admit, there was  _some_ semblance of logic behind that. Still, how could he feel no remorse for what he did to Felicia? "How can you be so distant? You know what I want? I want you to feel sorry. I want you to regret hurting Felicia."

Monty snickered. "Heh, yeah. You'd like that, wouldn't you? You just  _love_  making people see the error of their ways. You get some kind of high from it, don't you?" He glanced at Chara. "Yeah, you can't get enough."

This guy… this freaking guy. He truly had a way of leaving Frisk lost for words.

Monty moved on. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Evidence. It's not often you get the victim to testify for her own murder. Felicia alone is pretty damming evidence, especially if combined with other witnesses. That is your task. You must gather everyone who knows anything about Felicia's death. Jacob, Booker, the Millers, Flora, Kawasaki… Putting it all together, this should be a breeze."

At this point, Asriel was the only one who could bring himself to speak with him. He was quite entertained, actually. "Sounds easy. Let's go get them."

"… let's start with Nora and Nate," Chara said, her voice weary. "We can probably catch them on our way home."

"Makes sense," Asriel replied. "Well, I guess that's that. We'll bring the hammer down hard on Elizabeth."

Monty nodded. "Indeed. I look forward to it."

"Let's get to it. See you soon!"

Finally, Frisk was so ready to get out of there. Elodie looked at them, with tears gleaming in her green eyes. "Umm… I don't want to stay here."

Of course she didn't. Frisk would have been very surprised otherwise. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you can come with us."

"Y-you… you mean it?"

"Of course. It's the least we can do."

Elodie let out a sob. Her tears fell down her face. She wrapped her arms around Frisk and embraced him. "Th-thank you."

Frisk just wanted to help her, and he was sure Toriel would agree. "Don't mention it."

Chara cast another angry glare at Monty. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Monty shook his head. "Nah, it's her choice."

"Since when do you care about people's choices?"

"Heh, fair enough."

"Let's just get out of here," Frisk said.

No one objected.

Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and Elodie left Monty's apartment. They wasted no time walking far away from it, walking back onto the streets of Ebott City. Once they got some distance, they stopped to rest. They found a bench and sat down together.

"… well," Elodie said, "this isn't how I pictured today turning out."

"Looks like we're taking in  _another_ kid," Asriel said. "It's official. Toriel's house is now an orphanage."

"W-will you really do this for me?" Elodie asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Like I told Felicia, Toriel is always happy to take care of kids like you."

"Asriel's right," Frisk assured her. "If you want to stay with us, Toriel will take good care of you."

Elodie's eyes had yet to dry. "I s-still can't believe this. Th-this is all s-so sudden."

"I know," Frisk whispered. "Take all the time you need."

Felicia switched back in, borrowing control. She looked ashamed. "I am sorry, Elodie."

She sniffled. "It's not your fault. I'm glad you told me the truth. I just wish I knew sooner."

Frisk sort of knew how she felt. His own father had abandoned him, but it wasn't the same as what Monty turned out to be. He knew that Elodie's heart would take a long time to mend. He just hoped they could help her as best as they could.

Elodie stood up. "I'll be alright. Now, come on. We have a war to prevent."

"Nate and Nora are probably still at Grillby's," Felicia said. "Let's go see them, and then we'll call it a day."

Elodie, of course, didn't know much about them. "You said they were your friends, right? What are they like?"

"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Frisk asked her. "Maybe you should just rest."

She shook her head. "I'm coming with you, and that's final."

Elodie really was strong. As bad as things were, she was still moving forward. "Aright," Frisk said. "We'll explain everything on the way. We have a lot to catch you up on."

"Lead the way."

They all got up and began the walk to Grillby's. As they walked, Chara walked next to Frisk and held his hand. "Hey, Frisk?"

"What is it, Chara?"

"Never turn evil, okay?"

Frisk smiled at her. "Never, I promise. I could never do that to you."

The mere thought made her shiver. "You better not. I don't know what I'd do if you did. I… I don't think I could take it."

He gave her a warm kiss on the cheek. "You have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't hurt any of my friends like that, especially not you."

Chara was comforted by his words. She smiled and kissed him back. "I know, and I will never betray you, either. I'm nothing like Monty. I've always respected your decisions. I may have your heart, but I will never try to control you. I swear it."

Frisk would never dream of it. He loved her, and they would always protect each other.

Together, they marched on. Frisk knew Elizabeth wasn't their last obstacle, yet he felt a sensation of finality as they walked. It was time to rally everyone Elizabeth and Monty had hurt, giving him the sense that everything was heading towards a climatic showdown. How was this going to play out? Could they get Jacob on their side? Could they finally convince him to change his ways, or would they need to find another solution? How was this going to end?

For now, all they could do was keep moving.


	41. Demon Tears

Thirty-two years ago

Sent on a search mission, Monty moved with his fireteam into the forest near Ebott Village. Apparently, the townspeople saw a monster, claiming it fled into the woods, but that shouldn't have been possible. The barrier surrounding Mount Ebott was still intact and under strict guard by the Military Police. Nevertheless, these reports couldn't be ignored.

Monty's fireteam consisted of four members. Himself, his brother Eli, Agent Ackerman, and their CO, Commander Jaeger. The commander ordered them to halt. "Alright, this is most likely just some kid pulling a prank, but be on your guard. If the target truly is a monster, it must be terminated immediately."

Typical Jaeger, always just wants to take out the enemy and be done with it. He was not the type to take prisoners. Monty was not a fan.

Ackerman, as she often did, had a problem with Jaeger's order. "Sir, is that really necessary? Even if the target is a monster, that doesn't mean it's hostile. If at all possible, I suggest we return it peacefully to Mount Ebott."

Jaeger glared at her with fierce orange eyes. "Monsters know their place. If one of them were to cross the barrier, it would be an act of aggression punishable by death. Last time a monster showed up here, it murdered a child. We can't let that happen again."

Ah, yes, the 'killer goat' who murdered a child back in 201X, who the good people of Ebott Village heroically fought off. Please. If that monster wanted to kill those villagers, he would have.

Ackerman stared back at Jaeger with patient light blue eyes. "We don't know that. What if it just wants to talk? It wouldn't be humane to –"

"Our orders are clear. Any monster caught on the surface is to be killed on sight. I expect you to follow it, Ackerman."

"You won't hear me complain," Eli said. "Those monsters can rot underground for all I care."

Jaeger approved. "Damn straight, Togami." He looked at Monty. "What about you, other Togami? Any objections?"

"Well, we do have to be careful," Monty said. "If the target is indeed a hostile monster, it poses a serious threat to humanity. However, if it is not hostile, then I agree with Ackerman. We must return it to Mount Ebott, alive."

"Thank you, Monty," Ackerman said. "At least one person in this fireteam isn't a total prick."

Eli sighed. "You too, Brother? Why do you care?"

"It's simple," Monty said. "Killing it would do more harm than good. If it's a monster, and we kill it, we'll piss off monsterkind even more than we undoubtedly already have. And should they ever find a way to breach the barrier, they'll be that much more likely to destroy us all. Not only that, but think of all the intel we could get from a monster. It's in our best interests to take it alive."

"Yes, listen to him!" Ackerman exclaimed. "It's not just the right thing to do; it's the  _smart_ thing to do."

Jaeger thought this over. "Hmm… I suppose it would be fun to interrogate one of them. Still, I would rather not take the risk. Our orders still stand. If you see a monster, eliminate it immediately."

Ackerman really didn't like that. "Sir! Will you not –"

Jaeger was already on his last nerve. "Enough! We're wasting time arguing over monsters when it's probably just some stupid kid. Spread out and find them. That's an order."

Ackerman threw her arms up. "Oh, I'm Jaeger!" she mocked. "I'm just your generic military hardass. I give orders, and you follow them."

"Zip it, Ackerman!"

"My point, exactly!"

Eli was sick of waiting. "Let's just go already."

Jaeger agreed. "Yes, move out. End of discussion."

As Jaeger and Eli began their search, Ackerman whispered to Monty. "Let's find it before they do."

Monty grinned. "Bet you won't find it before I do, slowpoke soul."

She smirked. "Alright, Mr. Determination Soul. You're on."

In the off-chance that it actually was a monster, they had to hurry. Killing a lone monster would have been so foolish, a needless waste of life. Monty may have killed before, but not without purpose. Killing was a tool that should only be used to serve the greater good. People like Jaeger just couldn't see the big picture.

The four of them split up and searched the forest. With all that cover, there were plenty of places to hide. Monty took out his DT scanner, a device that locked on to the power radiated from souls. If the target was a monster, the scanner probably wouldn't be able to pick it up since their souls were so weak, but if the target was human, it wouldn't take long at all to get a reading.

Monty moved quickly, and he soon got a signal. Seemed like it was a human after all, how disappointing. He would have liked to meet a monster. Oh, well. He closed in on the target. His scanner indicated it was behind a tree about one hundred meters ahead. Eighty… sixty… He heard something. Sharp, irregular breaths. The target was crying.

Monty reached the tree and found the target. It was a small girl, no older than ten. She had blood-red hair, and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Monty held her shoulder. "Hey, what are you –"

The girl gasped, and when she revealed her face, Monty could hardly believe what he saw. She wasn't a monster, but she wasn't a normal human, either. Her eyes were nothing but a dark void, and a black substance oozed out of them. Her mouth was the same way, wide open and dripping with the same dark liquid.

Hollow eyes, and a black, tar-like substance, just like the legends. Could it be? Was this girl a demon?

Despite her demonic face, Monty could tell the girl was frightened. She shivered and cowered before him. Monty tried to soothe her. "Hey, it's alright. I won't –"

"Monty! You found it?"

Eli approached them. "Is that…?" His red eyes widened when he saw her. "What the…?"

Monty tried to shush him. "Eli, don't –"

"Commander! Get over here!"

Jaeger and Ackerman came running. They were just as shocked when they saw the girl. Jaeger started at her with a mixture of horror and disgust. "What the hell is that?"

"Is that one of them?" Ackerman asked. "Is that a monster?"

Eli shook his head. "No… it's worse."

"Worse?" Jaeger asked. "You know what this is?"

"It… it looks like a demon," Eli said. "Like in the legends."

"A demon? You mean, like the one that fought the Order of Mages? The one that the Seven Grandmasters barely managed to defeat?"

Eli nodded. "Precisely."

Monty was always a believer in the tale, but he never thought he'd actually meet a demon in person. For a demon to spawn, someone with a red soul and exceptional determination must die an extraordinarily agonizing death, and another red soul must absorb the demon's essence and awaken it. It was said that the level of pain required to turn someone into a demon could only be achieved through an overwhelming sense of grief, shame, or failure. That's how the legends went, anyway.

Although, now that he had seen one, Monty wondered how many of them were hiding in plain sight.

Jaeger stared at the demon with hatred in his eyes. "If this thing truly is a demon, it must be destroyed. Its power is a threat to the entire world."

Once again, Ackerman objected. "What? No, you can't do that! She's just a child!"

"That  _thing_ isn't human!" Jaeger snapped. "Dispose of this freak, right now."

Monty couldn't let them kill her. She had done nothing wrong. "Look at her," he said. "She's not dangerous. She's scared."

Jaeger wasn't going to argue. "Fine, you cowards! If you won't follow your orders, I'll do it myself!" He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the girl. She covered her face, knowing she was done for.

Before Jaeger fired, Ackerman jumped in front the girl, shielding her. "Commander, please! Don't do this! Just let her go! She probably has parents worried sick!"

Jaeger cocked his pistol. "Agent Ackerman, step out of the way, or I  _will_ fire."

"You can't be serious!"

"One… two…"

Monty wasn't going to let that happen. He seized the barrel of Jaeger's pistol and twisted it upward. "Commander, don't –"

Two gunshots cracked.

Monty looked back and saw where they landed. One bullet went through Ackerman's gut, and the other went through the girl's head, killing her instantly. Eli had killed her.

Badly wounded, Ackerman fell down and slumped against the tree. She held the girl's corpse, her eyes wide in horror. "N-no…"

Monty shoved Jaeger aside to face his miserable excuse for a brother. "Eli, you damn snake…"

Eli was cold, showing no remorse. "Had to be done, Brother. I don't know why you –"

Monty gripped his sword. "You know what? You don't have the right to call me that."

Eli stepped back. "H-hey, what are you doing?"

He stepped towards him, and he drew his sword. Eli rarely showed fear, but now he was trembling. "B-Brother! Stop! I only did what I –"

With a single, smooth motion, Monty sliced his brother's head clean off. Eli's head fell to the ground, and his body soon followed.

Ackerman gasped. "M-Monty…"

After a brief moment of shock, Jaeger aimed his pistol. "Traitor!"

Monty blinked forward, propelling himself with a burst of magical energy, instantly closing the distance. With a swift swing of his blade, he severed the hand Jaeger held his pistol with. As Jaeger screamed from the pain, Monty gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down into Jaeger's shoulder, slicing it through his heart. He twisted it, pulled it out, and kicked Jaeger's body to the ground. His dying body writhed, convulsing and bleeding out on the grass. Monty drew his pistol and finished him off with a shot to the head. Eli and Jaeger were no more.

Damn, that felt good.

Ackerman watched the whole scene in terror, her face pale and eyes wide. Her breaths were rapid rough. She had seen her share of combat, but seeing her own allies turn against each other was different.

Monty walked over to the demon girl's corpse. He bent down and scooped her out of Ackerman's arms. It was a stretch, but it was worth a shot. "Hey, are you still there?"

_Anyone? Hello?_

… nothing. Monty sighed. "I guess coming back from the dead twice is asking a bit much, huh?"

Ackerman clutched her wound as she sat against the tree. Growling delirious, she tried to laugh off the pain. "H-hey, Monty, give them a chance next time, yeah?"

Monty looked at her. "Why aren't you the one in charge?"

"Heh… it's just not my thing, bossing people around. I don't want that."

"… that's why you should be."

"Ha… maybe you have a point... Well, what are you waiting for? You're not actually going to leave the timeline this way, are you?"

Yeah, there was only one thing left to do now.

**FILE LOADED**

Ackerman threw her arms up. "Oh, I'm Jaeger!" she mocked. "I'm just your generic military hardass. I give orders, and you follow them."

"Zip it, Ackerman!"

"My point, exactly!"

Eli was sick of waiting. "Let's just go already."

Jaeger agreed. "Yes, move out. End of discussion."

As Jaeger and Eli began their search, Ackerman whispered to Monty. "Let's find it before they do."

Monty grinned. "Bet you won't find it before I do, slowpoke soul."

She smirked. "Alright, Mr. Determination Soul. You're on."

The four of them split up. Little did they know, Monty already knew exactly where the target was. He made a beeline for her position. He found her sitting in the same spot, and he carefully approached her.

Like last time, the girl was scared. Monty did his best to earn her trust. "It's okay. I'm here to help you."

The girl looked away and covered her demonic face. Monty firmly held her shoulders. "Hey, listen to me. It's going to be okay, but you need to calm down. Your face  _will_ turn back to normal, but you have to let it."

He wasn't getting through. The girl sobbed and cried tears of tar; the black substance trailed down her face. Monty knew he didn't have much time. "Hey, do you have a family? Parents? A mom and dad?"

Hesitantly, the girl nodded.

"Just think of then," Monty instructed. "Don't think of anything else but them. Even if they saw you like this, they wouldn't hurt you."

_But the people who are going to show up any minute now, that's a different story._

The girl breathed deeply, finally starting to calm down. Slowly, her face began to revert to a human appearance. The tar dried up and disappeared, and the darkness began to lift from her red eyes. Just a little longer…

"Monty! You found it?"

Eli approached them. "Is that the target?"

"Yeah," Monty said, "it was just a little girl."

Just in time, the girl's demonic features had completely disappeared, leaving just red eyes and pink lips. She passed perfectly for a normal human child.

Eli sighed. "I swear. People in these backwater towns have the craziest imaginations. Well, let's take her back home."

Jaeger and Ackerman joined them. "That's who we came for?" Jaeger asked.

Monty nodded. "Yep, don't know what freaked everyone out. Maybe she scared some old guy or something."

Ackerman smiled at her. "Aww, she's cute! How could anyone be scared of her?"

Monty shrugged. "Who knows?" He turned his attention to the girl. "Well, let's take you home."

The girl barely suppressed another sob, and she hugged him. "Thank you."

He pat her on the head. "Don't worry about it. Just be careful, for you and your friend's sake." There were two of them in there, after all.

The girl nodded. Monty breathed a sigh of relief. As long she kept it together, she was in the clear now. She was going to make it home safely. Monty just hoped she was going to be okay. She didn't deserve to have her life cut short by a trigger-happy Military Police officer.

Still, this encounter with a demon left lingering thoughts within Monty. This world was full of people it would be better off without. They were so many, too many, Jaeger's and Eli's out there. If he were to become the host for a demon, so much good could be done. Together, they could overthrow President Malcom, break the barrier, and monsterkind could return to the surface. It was the  _only_ way monsterkind could return to the surface. The power of a demon was the only thing that could keep their soul absorption in check.

Yes, this world  _needed_  a demon. Sure, the wrong demon could bring ruin to the entire world, but with the right demon… so many of the world's problems would just vanish. If Monty ever got the chance, he'd do anything to help such a demon realize their full potential, even if…

No,  _especially_  if they didn't want power.

* * *

Frisk and his friends walked into Grillby's, looking for Nora and Nate. It didn't take long to spot them. They were sitting at the bar, both drinking over the loss of their jobs. Frisk approached them. Nate wasn't going overboard, but Nora was already wasted.

Nate saw them. "Ah, there you are."

"Heeey, look who it is," Nora slurred. "Frisky, Flowsriel, Charicia, and some new girl. Hi!"

"Uh, hey," Frisk said. "Are you doing alright?"

Nora slammed her beer on the bar. "No!"

Nate sighed. "I'm just wondering what I'm gonna tell Selena and the kids."

Felicia switched in. She looked sad for him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Nate answered. "My wife's a lawyer, so I think we'll manage financially. Still…"

"Yeah… wait, she's a lawyer? What kind?"

"Uh, prosecutor."

"How good is she?"

"The best," Nate said. "She's a real devil in the courtroom. Unbiased opinion, I swear. Why?"

Alright, here it goes. "We talked to Monty," Frisk said.

Nora nearly choked on her beer. "You what?"

"You found him?" Nate asked. "How?"

Felicia held Elodie's shoulder. "This is Elodie," she said. "Turns out, Monty adopted her. He claims that he 'took pity' on her, but if that were true, he would have left her alone."

"Seriously? That sucks."

"Sure does," Asriel said.

"What is she going to do?" Nate asked.

"Yet another kid for Toriel," Asriel replied.

"Really? Did you even ask her yet?"

"Uh, well, not yet," Frisk said, "but I'm sure she'll be glad to do it!"

Nora shook her head. "You kids are crazy. That's five now, isn't it? Five kids living in her house. No, not just kids, teenagers! Crazy teenagers that pick fights with the Military Police! You're going to give the poor goat mother a heart attack!"

… Nora had a point. Frisk felt bad that they were putting so much on Toriel's shoulders. When things settled down, maybe they could find better living arrangements. Maybe Asgore could take someone in, or maybe Flora could. She had been like a mother to Felicia,  _certainly_  more so than Elizabeth had ever been.

"I'm sorry," Elodie apologized. "I don't mean to be a burden."

Nate changed the subject. "What about Monty?"

Felicia still wasn't happy with their arrangement. "Against my better judgment, we're going to cooperate with him. Apparently, Monty wants to help us take down Elizabeth, so we're gathering everyone who can testify against her."

"And that's you," Asriel said.

Nate didn't follow. "What? I don't really know much other than what you told me. Resets, remember?"

"Well, maybe not you," Felicia said. She turned her attention to Nora. "But I'm sure Nora can help."

Nora didn't follow, either. "Huh? Me? What?"

"You can establish Elizabeth's motive," Felicia explained. "After I died, she told you to make sure Jacob didn't adopt my view on monsters. You should know how suspicious that is. It may not prove her guilty on its own, but it does show a clear motivation."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I guess that does look rather suspicious, doesn't it?"

Felicia folded her arms. "Yeah, it does…"

Nora shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me like that. You're not gonna try to kill me again, are you?"

Ouch… Felicia froze, unable to formulate a response.

Nora laughed it off. "Relax, I'm kidding! Don't worry about it. Plenty of people have tried to kill me. Part of the job, but I always persevere."

Felicia sighed. "Just… if there's anything you can do to help, do it. You owe me and my brother that much."

Nora frowned, staring into her glass. "Jacob…"

She took another deep swig of her drink. She swallowed, put it down, and sobbed. "I can't believe Jacob dumped me!"

Wait, dumped?

Felicia blinked. "Uh, don't you mean fired?"

"HE DUMPED ME!"

Felicia's jaw dropped. "You… you and my brother were…?"

Nora let out a drunken laugh. "Oh, yes. Oooh, yes."

Huh, Nora and Jacob… Frisk found that kind of cute, actually. Well, it would have been cute if they weren't trying to wipe out monsterkind together.

Felicia, on the other hand, was disgusted. "I can't believe this. You really did fuck my brother, literally and figuratively."

Nora nodded. "Sure did."

"Did Elisabeth tell you to do that, too?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. It wasn't part of some devious plan. It just happened. I… I really did care about him."

Felicia gave Nate a peevish look. "Did you know about this?"

Nate didn't look eager to answer. "U-uh…"

"We kept it a secret, of course," Nora said. "You're not supposed have that kind of relationship with your boss. Conflict of interest and all that." She sipped her beer. "But god damn if it wasn't fun."

Felicia appeared to be resisting the urge to strangle her. She growled. "I'm trying not to hate you, Nora. Truly, I am, but you keep making it more and more difficult."

"But you know what?" Nora asked. "I'm gonna make him regret it. I've got dirt on him, and I'm gonna tell everyone."

Still holding her beer, Nora stood up on top of the bar. Barely maintaining her balance, she raised her arms high and shouted to the crowd. "Hey! Everyone! Malcom did the Boaris Burning!"

Everyone in the restaurant groaned. Among the general public, the idea that Jacob was secretly behind Boaris's attack was a widespread conspiracy theory, but it was often dismissed as wishful thinking. And it didn't sound very credible coming from someone struggling to stay on her feet with a half-empty mug of beer in her hand.

Nate tried to get her down. "Nora, please… Take it easy."

"I will not take it easy! I deserve to be heard!"

"You don't have any –"

"I will –"

Grillby saw the commotion and glared at Nora. He was literally made of fire, but Nora made him burn even brighter. Frisk could feel his heat from across the counter.

Grillby's translator stood behind him, sweating. "Uh… Grillbz is politely asking you to get down."

Nora got the message. She slowly got off the bar and back into her seat. "Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry…"

Frisk felt bad for her. He always had a particularly soft spot for broken hearts. "I'm sorry, Nora."

She cast a glance between Frisk and Chara. "One day, you two will know how this feels. You're only first year high school students. Chances are, your little relationship won't even make it to college, let alone survive it."

Well, that was just mean, even if it was statistically accurate.

Chara switched in to interject. "No way! Frisk and I are going to last!"

Nora took another sip of her drink. "Sorry, kid, but the vast majority of relationships crash and burn. Not just in high school, either. Even marriages end in divorce about half the time. The odds are  _not_ in your favor."

"We're different! What we have is special!"

"Ha, that's what they all say."

Frisk disagreed. "In our case, Chara's right. I mean, how many people can say they met their significant other by freeing an entire underground civilization together?"

"Exactly!" Chara exclaimed. "We have the best 'how we met' story ever!"

"Well," Nora said, "don't come crying to me when it all falls apart."

Chara scoffed. "What do you know? With that poison in your body, you can't even think straight."

"Really, Chara? You're gonna get on me for drinking now? That's just rude."

"It makes people act like idiots. I hate it."

"Gosh," Asriel said. "Can't you two ever just get along?"

"Seriously," Nate concurred.

Chara growled. "Like I could ever get along with this bigot."

"Oh, Chara," Nora said. "When are you going to realize that we're not so different? Don't you see? You and I, we're two sides of the same coin."

"Seriously? The 'we're not so different' cliché?"

"I know, I know. But in this case, it's true. You don't trust humanity, and I don't trust monsters. At our core, we both hold the same beliefs. We just choose opposite sides."

Chara tried to come up with a counterargument, but it seemed like Nora was getting to her. "I… I do see your point."

… Frisk almost agreed with her. Comparing the two objectively, Nora was right. She and Chara had made essentially the same mistakes, but…

"Chara's trying to find a better way," Frisk said. "What about you?"

Nora waved her hand dismissively. "Good luck finding it. I'll be very impressed if you do."

"What about Jacob?" Chara challenged. "He's trying to commit genocide, and your influence helped guide him along that path."

Felicia reassumed control of Chara's body. "That's right, Nora. Don't forget that everything Jacob has done is partially your fault. You helped make him the way is he now, and now it's time for you to fix it."

"CAN YOU FIX THE ACHING HOLE IN MY HEART?!" She sniffled. "Sorry, lost control there. I'll testify for you, but I'm afraid that's all I can do. J-Jacob probably wants nothing to do with me anymore."

Poor Nora. "Hope you feel better," Frisk said.

She seemed surprised to hear that. "You… you do?"

"Yeah, I do."

"… I know I screwed up," Nora said. "Felicia deserved better than what I did. I'll try to fix it. I promise."

Felicia frowned. "Maybe I'll find it in my heart to forgive you one day, Nora."

"Heh… thanks, Felicia."

Aww…

".. well," Asriel said. "If you guys are done being all emotional, can we get back to actually doing something about all this?"

"Uh, yeah," Frisk said. "Can you think of anything else that could help? Is there anyone else who might know something?"

"You could try our parents," Nate suggested. "They had close ties to Elizabeth. They might know something."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, if you can get them to help, that'd be great."

"And what about Selena?" Felicia asked. "Can she help us?"

"Well, that'd be up to the government," Nate said. "The victim doesn't prosecute a criminal case, you know. The government does."

"Oh, right… I knew that."

"Still," Nate said, "it'd take a crazy attorney to pull this one off. A trial against the former president, accused of murdering her own daughter, who has been awakened from death by an infamous demon. Yeah, I have a feeling Selena will be the prosecutor."

"Well, what are the odds?" Asriel wondered. "Of all people, your wife just happens to be the best attorney suited for our case. Maybe it's that synchronicity thing the weird clam girl was talking about."

"Is it really though?" Frisk questioned. "Nate's a justice soul, so it makes sense that he'd marry a lawyer."

"Huh, maybe."

Come to think of it, just getting the case started could be a bit tricky. How were they going to convince the government to arrest Elizabeth in the first place? It would really help if they could get Jacob on their side.

"… there's something else we should probably tell you," Nate said. "Right before Jacob fired us, I… kind of told him about Felicia."

… what?

Asriel could hardly believe what he had heard. "You idiot…"

"Are you crazy?!" Felicia exclaimed. "No wonder you were fired!"

"Yeah, it didn't go over well," Nora said. "Though, in Nate's defense, I think he was getting ready to fire us, anyway."

"So, Jacob knows where Felicia is?" Frisk asked.

"That's what Nate told him," Nora said, "but I have a funny feeling that he didn't believe him. Just a hunch."

Actually, maybe this could help. If they could convince Jacob that Felicia was really with them, they could probably get him to press charges, but was there any way they could convince him it really was Felicia? Hmm, if only they had some way of restoring his memory.

"Well, I guess that's everything," Asriel said. "Guess we'll head out now."

Why the rush? "But I'm hungry," Frisk said. They were here. Might as well get something to eat.

"Ah, good idea," Felicia said.

Frisk looked at Elodie. She had been very quiet, which wasn't surprising considering what she had just been through. "Do you want anything?"

Elodie shook her head. Frisk knew that wasn't a good sign. "Elodie, you have to eat."

"… not here."

Not here? "Why not?"

"Monty used to take me here."

Oh…

"Alright," Frisk said. "Let's go then. We'll introduce you to Toriel."

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It'll be alright, Elodie. Let's go…" Should he call it home?

"Yeah, let's go," Elodie said.

Frisk supposed they'd see how she felt when she got there. He waved goodbye to Nate and Nora. "See you guys later."

Nate waved back. "Yeah, see you."

"Leave me to my sorrow," Nora said. She went back to her drink. Frisk just hoped she was sober when they needed her.

With their business concluded, Frisk and his friends left the restaurant, and they headed to Toriel's house.

* * *

As night fell, Frisk and the others arrived at their destination. He brought them inside and called for Toriel. "Toriel, we're home, and we brought someone we want you to meet."

Toriel walked into the room and saw Elodie. "Oh, greetings. What is your name?"

She avoided meeting Toriel's eyes. "Umm… I'm Elodie."

Toriel recognized that name. "Oh, so you are the one who…" She squinted angrily at her. "I trust you gave my child an apology, no?"

Elodie didn't need to be reminded that. "Toriel, it's okay," Frisk said. "Elodie's our friend now. In fact, we're hoping you… uh, we're hoping you can help her."

It didn't take long for Toriel to figure out what Frisk was implying. She stared at him in disbelief. "Surely, you cannot be serious."

"His name is Frisk," Asriel said, "and unfortunately, he is serious."

"You mean…"

"Yep! We've got another one!"

Toriel almost didn't want to ask. "Wh… what happened to her?"

Frisk explained everything to her, telling her how Elodie's adoptive father turned out to be Monty, Felicia's killer. Hearing this story quickly changed Toriel's attitude towards Elodie. "Oh, you poor child. I cannot imagine that must be like."

"Obviously, she doesn't want to stay with him anymore," Frisk said, "so she's hoping she can stay with us, at least for a little while."

"… are you certain this is what you want?" Toriel asked her.

"I'm not going back to him," Elodie said. "I'll sleep on the street before that."

Toriel nodded. "Very well. You can stay here as long as you need."

She was very grateful, but she was still sad as well. "Thank you. I know you already have a lot to handle. I'll try not to cause trouble for you."

"Do not concern yourself with such things, my child."

Elodie looked uncomfortable. "Umm…"

"Oh, my apologizes!" Toriel exclaimed. "When I say, 'my child,' I do not necessarily mean you are  _my child_ … does that make sense? It is merely an expression. During my time as Queen, all of my subjects were like children to me, so perhaps that is where I developed the habit. I apologize if it sounds conceited."

"I do have a request," Elodie said. "Please, do not think of me as family. I'm simply an orphan living under your roof."

"I understand," Toriel said. "However, if you change your mind in the future, you can. Do not feel as if you are unworthy to be here."

Elodie shook her head. "No, it's not that, and it's not you, either. I just… don't want to see you that way."

Frisk figured that Elodie was like himself. She didn't want to think of Toriel as her new mother. Her mother was dead, and on top of that, her first adoption hadn't ended so well. That didn't mean Elodie could never come to love Toriel, but she would never forget what she had lost.

"Ah, I see," Toriel said. "That is all right. You may call me whatever you like. Whatever makes you happy. I just hope you do not address me the same way Frisk did when we met."

"Oh, God!" Chara exclaimed. "Oh, God, no! Mother, she does  _not_ need to hear that story!"

Frisk grinned. "My love!"

"Frisk! Shut up!"

"Don't be jealous, Chara!"

"Frisk, she's my  _mother_! That's just gross! She's way too old for you!"

"I'd never let something so superficial stand in the way of true love!"

"Frisk!"

"Heh…"

Elodie snickered, and then it erupted into full laughter. "Ha… Hahaha! Frisk really flirted with…? Ahahaha!"

Chara smiled. "He is rather frisky, isn't he?"

"Heh, thanks for that," Elodie said. "I really needed it."

Yeah. Even when things were as bad as they were, simple pleasures could go a long way.

"So, are you hungry?" Toriel asked. "What would you like for dinner?"

"Uh, I don' know," Elodie said. "Umm… can you make spaghetti?"

A girl after Papyrus's heart.

"Easily done," Toriel replied. "I shall prepare it right away."

Elodie still couldn't believe her kindness. "Th-thank you. I hope I can repay you one day."

"There is no need for that. Helping those in need is common sense."

Frisk pat Elodie on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said. "We'll do our best to make you feel at home."

Elodie took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah…" She looked at Toriel. "Hey, can I help cook?"

"Oh, of course," Toriel said. "Let us get started."

Following Toriel, they left to prepare dinner, and then they would get some needed rest.

* * *

The next morning, Frisk woke up in Chara's arms. He checked the time, it was six. They had to get up and get ready for another day of school, which Frisk had to admit was kind of a drag given their circumstances. Saving Gaster and meeting Monty back-to-back had taken a toll on him. He wished he could stay in bed with Chara, but they had to get up.

Chara was still fast asleep. Frisk gently poked her face. She groaned, not wanting to wake up, either. Frisk smiled and kissed her cheek. "Come on, sleepyhead. Time to wake up."

She opened her beautiful red eyes, smiling back at him. "Can't we stay for a little longer?"

Frisk pat her on the shoulder before getting up. "Wish we could."

Painfully, Chara followed him out of bed and stretched her arms out. "Oh, fine."

As Frisk searched his cabinet for a fresh set of clothes to change into, Chara snuck up behind him and held him in a tight embrace. He laughed. "Chara, we really do need to get moving."

"I just want this to be over," she whispered.

Frisk felt the exact same way. "Yeah, me too. It's strange, but I feel like we're close."

"Are we? Stopping Elizabeth will hardly solve all our problems."

"I know, but… I just have this feeling. Maybe it won't be the end, but it will be a major step at least."

She frowned. "I don't know if there will ever be an end," she somberly said. "Even if we defeat Elizabeth and Jacob, someone else could take their place."

Frisk knew she was right. Monsterkind would never truly be safe, but he didn't like to think about that. "We'll do the best we can."

"… yeah, we will."

Frisk continued to get ready for the day. After putting on a fresh set of clothes and brushing his teeth, he went into the kitchen for breakfast. Toriel, Asriel, and Elodie were already there. Frisk greeted them. "Morning everyone."

"Good morning, Frisk," Toriel replied.

As Frisk poured himself a bowl of cereal, he heard someone knock on the front door. Toriel got up to answer. "Who is it?"

"Military Police."

Frisk froze. What were they doing here?

Hesitantly, Toriel opened the door. Two Military Police officers were standing outside. Frisk recognized them. They were two of the agents who had been under Nate's command, Agent Clark and Agent Campbell.

"Uh, what is this about?" Toriel asked them.

"Is Chara Dreemurr here?" Clark asked.

"Y-yes?"

"Bring her here."

Overhearing them, Chara slowly walked out into their view. "What is it?"

When she saw her, Clark barged inside, moving right past Toriel and drawing her pistol. Chara put her hands up. "Wh-what?"

"Chara Dreemurr, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Felicia Malcom."


	42. Family Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have a beta.
> 
> Thanks to coincidencless at Fanfiction.net for editing.

Felicia tried to process what was happening. Two Military Police officers had showed up at their door, and they were accusing Chara of 'kidnapping' her. This didn't make sense. Felicia knew that Nate told Jacob about her, but she thought he didn't believe him. If that was true, then what was the Military Police doing here? Why would Jacob send them to rescue someone he believed was dead?

Either way…

Felicia took control of Chara's body, and she scowled at the agents as they pointed guns at her. "I'm not kidnapped, you idiots!"

The second agent, Campbell, lowered his weapon. "Oh, is that her? Felicia?"

"Yes! I am Felicia!"

Campbell holstered his pistol. as if he had made an honest mistake. "Oh, crap. Clark, looks like Jacob was wrong. She says she's not kidnapped."

"How do we know it's her?" Clark challenged. "What if that's Chara speaking?"

"Oh… yeah, I see your point."

"Felicia's eyes are brighter," Frisk pointed out. "You can tell them apart that way."

Clark got a little testy. "Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with the exact shade of Chara's eyes."

"Can't her eyes glow anyway?" Campbell asked. "I heard they light up when she's about to go full demon."

"Indeed," Clark said. "A slight change in eye color doesn't prove anything."

This was ridiculous. "It's me!" Felicia shouted.

"She speaks the truth," Toriel said. "This is a grave misunderstanding."

The two officers paused. They clearly weren't trained for a situation like this. Campbell looked at Felicia with excited green eyes. He seemed childishly enthralled by this. Clark, on the other hand, looked more serious, determined to carry out her mission, even if it was a  _little_ unorthodox.

"Uh, prove it," Clark ordered, still aiming her pistol. "Prove you are Felicia."

How was she supposed to do that? The eye thing was the best she had. "What do you want? A DNA test?"

Finally starting to see reason, Clark lowered her pistol. "Umm…"

"Well," Campbell said, "this is, uh, this is the easily the weirdest arrest I've ever done, and trust me, I've seen some weird stuff."

Clark stared at Felicia, her blue eyes already growing weary. "Okay, then. If you're not kidnapped, then what's going on? I doubt you're hanging out in Chara's body for fun."

"I'm not kidnapped," Felicia repeated. "I'm just kind of… stuck here right now."

"So you  _are_ kidnapped!" Campbell exclaimed.

"No! Chara's not holding me prisoner! I'm just, uh, trapped in her body… It's not her fault, though!"

"Alright, I think I've got it now," Campbell said. "What we've got here is an unintentional kidnapping."

Felicia shrugged. "Uh, well, I guess? Technically?"

"… is that a thing?" Clark asked.

"Sure is!" Campbell said. "There was this one time where I arrested a guy for stealing a car, who didn't realize there was a baby in the back seat. It can happen."

"How do you not notice a baby in the back seat?"

"I don't know. Heat of the moment?"

Clark shook her head and snapped back into focus. "Whatever." She looked back at Felicia. "Chara, Felicia, whoever you are, we still need to take you in. President's orders."

That didn't sound like a bad idea, actually. "Please do!" Felicia said. "Take me to my brother! I wish to have a word with him!"

"That's the idea," Clark said.

Frisk spoke up. "If they're going, then I'm going too!"

"Me too," Flowey said. "I can't miss the family reunion. Should be juicy."

"Our orders are to bring in Chara," Clark said. "The rest of you are irrelevant."

Felicia personally wouldn't mind going alone, but Frisk took issue with that. "There's no telling what Jacob is planning to do. I'm going with them, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Clark folded her arms. "The President only wants to see Chara and Felicia, not you."

Campbell gave a friendly smile. "Aw, come on, Rosalene. I don't see the harm in it."

"Malcom didn't ask for them."

"But he didn't say  _not_ to bring them, right?"

Clark sighed. "Oh, fine. You can come. Be sure to thank Neil for that."

Campbell bowed. "You're welcome!"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Frisk said.

Hmm, Campbell was a little on the eccentric side, wasn't he? Seemed nice, though.

Clark was ready to go. "Alright, let's get going, then."

Toriel looked concerned. She looked at Felicia – or Chara – and frowned. "For goodness sake, can you not have a single normal day?"

"I'm sorry, Toriel," Frisk said, "but we have to go."

"I know," Toriel said. "I will not attempt to stop you. I have already learned that lesson."

Felicia was sure there was nothing to worry about. "Jacob won't hurt us," she said. "He's my brother."

"Yeah, and Elizabeth was your mother," Flowey reminded her. "Didn't stop her from murdering you."

… Felicia hated that flower. She knew her brother had been twisted. He didn't need to keep reminding her. Felicia wished he would just shut up.

Flowey glanced up at Campbell and Clark. "Why don't you two go arrest Elizabeth? She's a child murderer. Did you know that?"

"Yes, we're working on that," Clark said.

Wait, they knew? Did Nate tell him that, too? More importantly, what was it that changed Jacob's mind? Why did he believe him all of a sudden? "You know about that?" Felicia asked. "How did you find out?"

"A ghost, apparently," Campbell answered. "What was his name again? Ga… Gastly? Gassy?"

Clark facepalmed. "Gaster."

"Ah, yeah," Campbell said. "That's it."

Gaster? Gaster had met Jacob? "What did he say?" Felicia asked.

"You can ask the President himself," Clark said, not wanting to waste time. Blue souls were not to be confused with light blue souls.

Flowey groaned. "Great job, Gaster. What a team player."

 _This is Gaster's typical behavior,_ Chara commented.  _He often neglects to explain critical details to his associates. He seems to enjoy keeping people in the dark, surrendering as little information as possible. His laboratory has always been run on a strict need-to-know basis._

_Great. I'm starting to see why Goner Kid doesn't like him._

"Well, this is good, right?" Frisk said. "We were worried about convincing Jacob to help, but it seems like Gaster's taken care of it for us."

"I mean, yeah," Felicia said. "It's a great help. I just wish he, you know, gave us a heads-up."

Frisk agreed. "Yeah…"

Elodie stepped forward. "Let's just go already."

There really wasn't any need for Elodie to come with them. Felicia turned to her. "I think you should stay," she said. "No offense, but I don't think there's anything you could do."

Elodie gave her a teasing smile. "Aww, you're worried about me."

"I'm serious."

She shook her head. "Even if I can't help, I'm going anyway. I can't just stay here."

Well, Felicia wasn't going to stop her. She admired her resolve. The two of them had a lot in common, actually. They were both, in their own ways, dealing with loss of family, and they were both screwed over by Monty. Felicia had a feeling they would become good friends.

"Alright," Felicia said. "Let's go."

Clark and Campbell began to escort them out. They walked outside, and Toriel waved goodbye. "Just be careful."

"What's there to worry about?" Flowey asked. "As long as Frisk has his resets, he's basically God."

"Regardless, I would advise against antagonizing the President," Toriel said.

Frisk nodded. "I know. I love you, Toriel."

Toriel smiled. "I thought you were done flirting with me."

Frisk smiled back. "Hey, there's different kinds of love.'

"In that case, I love you too, Frisk."

Felicia let Chara take over. She waved to Toriel. "We'll come back safe, Mother."

Toriel waved back. "Good luck, my child."

Felicia took back control. She, Frisk, Flowey, and Elodie were taken into Military Police cars, and they started driving towards the capitol.

* * *

The World Capitol, as one would expect, was a very opulent building. Its tall, wide hallways were adorned with various paintings, antiques, and a marble floor. Felicia always hated this place. A few of the paintings depicted the war fought between humans and monsters over two-thousand years ago, and since they were painted by humans, they were not exactly portraying humanity as the bad guys. Frisk himself had negotiated the removal of the more controversial works, but a few remained for the sake of history.

They had a point. It was an integral part of history, one that should never be repeated.

Felicia and the others walked through the ornate halls, and they stood at the door to Jacob's office. Her gut twisted as they approached. After all this time, she was finally going to see him again, but would she recognize him? Just how much had Elizabeth corrupted him?

Clark clicked the pager by the door. "Mr. President, Chara Dreemurr has arrived."

The door unlocked. Clark opened it and told them to go inside. As she looked in, Felicia's body started to shiver. She did her best to suppress her fears, and she stepped forward.

Before she walked inside, Clark stopped her. She held out her hand. "Please turn in any weapons or electronic devices before going in."

Jacob wanted to make sure he wouldn't be recorded. Felicia and the others had no choice but to hand over their cellphones and weapons. Clark looked a little surprised when Felicia handed her Chara's knife. "Umm, you carry a knife around?"

"That's kind of weird," Campbell said. "And people already think you're a crazy serial killer."

Chara brushed it off. "Yeah, whatever."

Clark was even more surprised when Frisk handed over his police baton. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

Frisk answered truthfully. "Nate gave it to me."

"Oh, so that's where it went," Campbell said. "I'm pretty sure we're technically supposed to take it back, but we already fined him for it, so whatever."

Damn. Felicia hoped Frisk would pay him back.

After verifying they weren't hiding anything, Clark let them pass. Felicia walked inside the office, and at last, she came face-to-face with Jacob. He looked at her with hatred seething in his red eyes. "Chara, we need to talk."

There was a single chair sitting in front of his desk. Felicia sat down while Frisk and the others stood behind her. Felicia stared back at her brother. "I'm not Chara," she said.

Jacob's demeanor changed immediately. Even though he already knew, he was shocked to hear it. "F-Felicia? It's really you?"

"Yes, Brother," Felicia said. "It's me."

Jacob started to get out of his chair, but then he stopped himself. His surprise turned to suspicion. "How do I know? How do I know it's not you, Chara?"

Flowey sighed. "Yeah, your buddies asked the same thing."

Felicia could prove it to him. She knew she could. She looked at him with a familiar fondness in her eyes. "It's me, Jacob. We used to play in that field, where the golden flowers were. There was a great view of Mount Ebott there. Sometimes, we'd just sit and watch the sunset by the mountain."

Jacob wasn't convinced yet. "Nate could have told you any of that."

Right, she needed something more specific. "… remember that time we visited the Millers' house, and Nora offered you one cookie from the cookie jar? You tried to take more than one, and Nora got mad. You two fought over the jar, and you accidentally dropped it, spilling all the cookies on the floor. Nora tried to scold you, but you felt so bad about it. You apologized profusely, and she ended up hugging you, telling you it was okay. Meanwhile, Nate and I were doing our best not to laugh."

Jacob clearly remembered, but he was still hesitant to believe it was her. "Again, Nate."

"Alright," Felicia said. "Here's one Nate would never dare speak of. Remember all those times you tried to ask Flora out? She would always politely decline, saying she already had a boyfriend, but that didn't stop you from trying. You even asked her to marry you, right after she had gotten engaged."

Chara failed to stifle a laugh inside her head.  _He really did that? Who knew he was another Frisk?_

Jacob was visibly embarrassed. His cheeks flushed, and he fidgeted. "U-umm, yeah. I remember."

It was time to get serious. "And," Felicia solemnly said, "I know your greatest fear. You knew that Mother and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. We argued a lot, but you still loved us both. You were terrified that one day, you'd be forced to take a side. You would have to choose between me and Mother. I… I swore that would never happen." She felt something salty sting her eyes. "I g-guess that was a lie, h-huh?"

_Felicia…_

She sniffled. Mother really had broken them. She had split their family in two, and nothing would ever make them whole again.

As her breaths turned to sobs, Jacob got up out of his chair. He walled close to Felicia and he wrapped his arms around her. "Sister…"

Felicia continued to cry, but she hugged him back. "Brother…"

"I missed you," he whispered.

"I missed you too."

Frisk, always empathetic, was moved by their reunion, tears sparkling in his own eyes. He, Flowey and Elodie just watched silently while the two siblings held their embrace, finally reunited after thirty years.

Eventually, Felicia let go and wiped her eyes. They had a lot to talk about. "Jacob, you know what Mother did?"

He nodded. "Yes, a monster named Gaster showed me everything. He unlocked my memories. I remember it all now."

"Then, what will you do?"

"She must answer for her crimes," Jacob said. "Better late than never."

Felicia regretted that it had come to this, but she was glad Jacob wasn't so far gone as to justify Elizabeth's actions. "Yeah, she does," Felicia whispered.

"I've already started the investigation," Jacob said. "She will die for what she's done. I swear it."

Die… Mother was going to die… of course she was. She had to die for what she had done. She had  _killed_ her. Felicia could never forgive her for that. Besides, death was mercy compared to a life of bondage.

Felicia moved on. "I know where Monty is," she said. "We found him. His full name is Monty Togami. He's living right here, in Ebott City. Believe it or not, he's agreed to help us incriminate Elizabeth as a witness."

Like Felicia herself, Jacob found that dubious. "I hope he's not expecting some sort of deal for speaking up. He'll die too."

Elodie whimpered at those words. She wasn't actually feeling sorry for him, was she? No, she had made her feelings perfectly clear. She was probably just still struggling to accept it was real.

"Okay, great," Flowey said. "He's going to help us take down Elizabeth. Now, are we just going to forget he's trying to annihilate every single monster on Earth?"

As much as she hated it, he had a point. Jacob couldn't continue walking down that path. She had to stop him. "Jacob, I know I told you to think for yourself, but what you're trying to do is wrong. You can't just kill them. They don't deserve it."

"… you're right," Jacob said. "They don't deserve it… but that doesn't change the facts. They are too dangerous to exist. We must kill them all."

… Felicia felt like she had died all over again. Even after learning what Elizabeth had done, he was still taking her side? He was still willing to massacre an entire species? No, that wasn't him. That wasn't Jacob. She had to stop him, bring him back to his senses.

"Jacob, listen to yourself," she pleaded. "That's not you. Mother made you believe that. Please, stop before it's too late."

He shook his head. "No, Mother didn't  _make_ me this way. I chose it myself, and not even you can change my mind."

She wasn't going to give up so easily. "Jacob, what if  _I_ was a monster? Would you kill me too?"

"Yes," Jacob said without hesitation. "Yes, I would."

That… that didn't make sense! If Jacob was willing to execute Mother for what she had done, then why would he kill her? "Brother, how could you? How does that make you any better than Mother?"

"You're  _not_  a monster," Jacob said, "so you don't have to die. Don't you understand? I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm no psychopath. I am only doing what has to be done."

He really believed that? He really believed all monsters had to die? What could she say to him? How could she convince him that he was wrong? Felicia didn't know what to do. There had to be something. There  _had_ to be  _something_ , but what?

"Kill or be killed,' Flowey muttered.

Frisk stepped forward. "Jacob…"

He immediately cut him off. "Don't even try, Frisk. You and I have already discussed this matter at length. There is nothing more to be said."

Nothing more to be said… was that really it? Was there nothing Felicia could do? Her heart ached as she began to fall into despair. The Jacob she knew never would have acted this way. He was gone, and Felicia didn't see any way to bring him back.

_Let me talk to him._

She had nothing to lose. Felicia let Chara regain control of her body. As Chara faced Jacob, there was no hatred or malice in her eyes. She looked at him with a somber expression on her face, like a friend trying to stop him from repeating her own mistakes.

"Greetings, Jacob," Chara said. "It's me. I know how you feel, but you must listen to me. If you keep walking down this path, you will regret it."

Jacob didn't find her argument compelling. "You haven't changed, demon. Given the chance, you'd do it all over again, wouldn't you? You claim to love Frisk, but in reality, you still believe that your precious monsters will never be safe until humanity is destroyed."

"N-no," Chara said, but not without doubt. "I w-wouldn't do it again. I wouldn't."

Unfortunately, even after everything her friends had done for her, it wasn't difficult to guilt trip her. She admitted her sins, and people like Jacob were perfectly willing to hit her where she was most vulnerable.

Enraged by Jacob's hypocrisy, Elodie spoke up. "Umm, how are you better?"

"By billions," Jacob answered. "Chara understands that either humans or monsters must be destroyed, but, by some herculean leap of logic, she decided that the race with only one million people should be the one to survive, as opposed to the race with  _billions._ She would kill eleven billion people to save one million. How could anyone call that sane?"

"Yeah," Flowey said. "That is crazy, but killing one million people is still pretty bad, last time I checked."

Chara regained her confidence. She gave up trying to play nice. "You know," she said, "humans and monsters used to be equal. Before the war, there were just as many monsters as there were humans. Today, the monster population is scarce because of what humans did to them. You're essentially using the war that you started to justify exterminating them entirely. You disgust me."

"And they should have finished the job," Jacob said.

Chara held her head down, knowing she had failed.  _I'm sorry, Felicia. I tried._

Jacob continued to stare venomously into Chara. "What are you doing with Felicia, demon? Her soul doesn't belong to you. Give it back."

"I'm not in control," Chara said. "Felicia can take over whenever she wants. It's her soul. She may be lending it to me, but I don't own it. She can do whatever she wants."

"Except for killing people," Flowey said. "That would be bad."

Jacob didn't understand. "Then, why Felicia? Why are you letting this demon control you?"

"Careful," Elodie warned. "If you keep talking about Chara like that, Frisk  _will_ punch you in the face."

Actually, Frisk didn't look too angry, just tired. Jacob wasn't exactly the first person to insult the girl he loved. At this point, he had learned to just sigh and move on.

"Alright, that's enough," Flowey said. "Psychological warfare can be fun, but it gets repetitive after a while. Let's just kill him already."

Uh, what? Felicia took control and turned to face him. "Flowey, what the hell?"

Flowey laughed. "I'm kidding. Mom said not to antagonize the President, remember?"

That wasn't funny. Maybe she was crazy, but even after everything Jacob had said, she still didn't want him to die. Her heart still clung to a thin tendril of hope that he wasn't beyond saving.

"Seriously, though," Flowey said. "We've argued with this guy enough. The deal is done, so let's get out of here."

"That's the most sensible thing you've said all day," Jacob replied. "Yes, I will still help you with Elizabeth. She will be arrested shortly, but once she's convicted and slated for execution, our little truce is over."

"And then what?" Felicia asked. "You'll declare war on monsterkind?"

"No," Jacob said. "That would be stupid. We'd never win. We may have won back in ancient times, but today, there's too many fanatical idiots like Chara out there. If we declared war, all it would take is a single human sacrificing themselves to a single monster willing to fight, and that would be it."

Right, that was why Jacob wanted to force them back under Mount Ebott first. Gather them all in one space, where his most trusted soldiers can kill them all.

Chara switched back in. "That's right," she said. "You will never win. After they learn what you're trying to do, monsters will never go back underground."

"Good luck proving that," Jacob said. "Those monsters tend to be rather naïve."

Felicia couldn't take it anymore.  _Chara, please get us out of here. I don't want to stay._

She was eager to oblige. "I believe our business here is concluded." She turned around towards the door. "Goodbye, President."

"… wait," Jacob said. "Felicia, you haven't answered my question."

Felicia looked back at her brother, and she answered. "Why are you?"

Jacob didn't respond. Felicia led Frisk, Elodie, and Flowey out of Jacob's office. Outside, Agent Clark returned their belongings.

"So, how did it go?" Campbell asked.

Felicia ignored him.

"That bad, huh? Yeah, family sucks sometimes."

Felicia went on her way. She walked with the others outside of the capitol building, and she stopped. She sat down on the stairs in front of the building. She… she just needed a minute.

Elodie sat down next to. "Felicia…"

Damn it, was she crying again? She must have looked so pathetic.

Elodie tried to hug her, but Felicia refused, pushing her back. "No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Elodie said. "No one would be fine after that."

Well, she was right, but Felicia wasn't in the mood to be coddled. She just wanted to sit there.

Elodie seemed to understand this. She changed tactics and gave her a warm smile. "That was some last line back there. 'Why are you?' Walks away in slow motion. Haha…"

Felicia, realizing how silly that sounded, blushed in embarrassment. A slight smile spread across her face. "Heh, I guess that was kind of cheesy."

"Yeah, but still awesome! I thought you were really cool, Felicia."

"Ha… thanks, Elodie."

Frisk was sad for her. "I wish there was more I could do. Like he said, Jacob and I have already argued all of this to death back at the Embassy, but I could never get him to see things my way."

"It's not your fault," Felicia said. "You can't convince everyone to be a better person. That really would make you God."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah…"

Felicia and the others continued to sit for a while. She ran through Jacob's words in her head. Even though he was genuinely happy to see her again, it seemed there really was no changing his mind. He was going to do everything in his power to destroy monsterkind. Felicia slowly came to terms with the fact that Jacob was her enemy. It broke her heart, but she had to face reality eventually.

As they continued to sit, someone approached them. It was a woman with crimson hair and matching crimson eyes, dressed in a formal business suit. She looked like she was in her forties, about the same age Felicia would have been if she hadn't died. She looked at Frisk. "Excuse me," she said. "Are you Frisk? The World Master?"

"Uh, yeah," Frisk answered. "That's me."

The woman introduced herself. "My name is Selena Miller. My husband has told me much about you."

Oh, so that was her. Selena, Nate's wife. "What are you doing here?" Felicia asked.

A raging inferno burned in Selena's red eyes. "I'm here to tell Malcom off for firing my Nate."

Felecia really was happy for him, but if she said that she didn't feel the slightest hint of jealously at 'my Nate,' that would be considerably less than honest. "Oh… good for you."

Selena sighed and calmed herself down. "So, you're Chara, right? Or is that Felicia speaking?"

She knew? Nate told her? Actually, Felicia supposed that made sense. If she was to prosecute Elizabeth, she needed to know that.

"I'm Felicia," she said. "Chara's listening; I just happen to be holding the controls right now."

Selena looked intrigued, like she had been waiting a long time to meet someone like them. "Then, it's true. Chara's a demon, and you're her host."

Frisk got a little protective. "Call her that if you want, but that doesn't make her a bad person."

"I wasn't implying that," Selena assured him. "I refer to Chara as a demon the way I refer to monsters as monsters."

Frisk looked relieved. "Thank you."

"So…" Selena said, "what are you doing here?"

"The President tried to arrest Chara," Frisk answered. "A monster named Gaster spilled the beans about Felicia, and Jacob assumed that Chara had kidnapped her. That got shot down pretty quick when Felicia herself said she wasn't."

 _And we all know what happens when you assume,_ Chara commented.

_Chara…_

"Damn," Selena said. "I mean, I know he just started an investigation on her, but I didn't think he'd be dumb enough to try that. What did he say? Get anything good out of him?"

They gave Selena a run-down of the conversation they just had with Jacob. Selena listened attentively as they finished.

"It's a shame you couldn't record him," Selena said. "If the things he said to you went public, he'd be ruined. Even if the evidence was obtained illegally, everyone would know who he really is."

"At least he's helping us with Elizabeth," Felicia said.

Selena nodded. "Yes, that makes my job a lot easier."

"You're really gonna help us?" Frisk asked.

"Well, duh!" Selena exclaimed. "Only a crazy person wouldn't! A mother murders her own daughter, and you expect me to just let it slide? No way! She's going down! And Monty! And Jacob! I'm going to town on these psychos!"

Felicia got the impression that Selena enjoyed her work, very much so. "Uh, good to know."

"Elizabeth's trial should start very soon," Selena said. "All key witnesses will be gathered. I'll keep you posted."

That was good to hear. Felicia, Chara, Frisk, and Flowey were all ready to get on with this. "Glad to have you on our side," Felicia said.

Selena pumped her fist. "Let's win this, alright?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Felicia did her own fist pump. "We can do this together!"

Selena grinned. "That's the spirit! Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go yell at the President. See you in court, and that's a good thing this time!"

Frisk waved goodbye. "See you there."

Selena headed for the capitol building. Flowey whistled as she left. "Man, I don't want to be Jacob right now."

Okay, Felicia admitted it. "I like her."

Frisk smiled. "Even though she stole your Nate?"

"Haha, well, at least he picked a worthy successor."

"What a good sport."

"It seems like we're in good hands," Elodie said. "I guess all we can do is wait now."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, let's go home."

"But, guys," Flowey said, "there's still time to get back to school."

"Screw that," Felicia groaned, and she wasn't even the one enrolled.

 _I second that,_ Chara said.

"Education is important," Frisk said, "but I think we've earned the right to take a break for now."

 _I'm going to fail my classes so hard,_ Chara moaned.  _Anime often depicts students being able to juggle all kinds of crazy adventure stuff while maintaining top grades, but that's_ so  _unrealistic._

_Maybe they cheat._

_That's sin!_

"Mom's gonna be mad," Flowey teased.

"Hey, we'll get back to it soon," Frisk said. "You know, when everything's normal again."

"… yeah," Chara said. "Let's make sure that happens."

It seemed like everything was in place. This case was now in Selena's professional hands. Like Elodie said, all they could do now was wait for the trial to begin.

Felicia and her companions went back home.


	43. Before the Storm

Solitary confinement was painfully boring.

Boaris sat in his cell, which was pretty much all he ever did these days. The cell was barely big enough for his large body. There were no windows, just a concrete floor and concrete walls. His only interactions with other people were the prison workers who brought food to his cell, which Boaris started to wonder if he should bother eating. It was very, very boring.

If the people had their way, Boaris would have been dead already, but his trial was an unusual one, unprecedented. Despite all the pain he had caused, Boaris hadn't actually killed anyone. He had allowed Frisk to reset. All of his crimes had been erased. In this timeline, he had done nothing wrong.

Technically, Boaris shouldn't have been able to go to jail at all, but regardless, there was no way the masses would accept allowing him to roam free after the things he did. Officially, he was convicted for the crime of  _attempting_  to absorb a human soul. Even that hadn't actually occurred in this timeline, but the court didn't care. They deemed he was too dangerous to live, so he was sentenced to death for his theoretical crime.

There was only one thing keeping him alive. One of the prosecutors suspected there was more to Boaris's attack. She believed that he hadn't acted on his own, so she had him locked up in this cell. She visited him often, hoping to get a confession out of him, but he never spoke a word. He knew that monsters had to go back Underground. He would never say anything to jeopardize that. He would endure this punishment for as long as it took.

As Boaris continued to sit, he sensed that someone was there. Selena? No, the door hadn't been opened, yet he was certain someone was inside. He lifted his head, and he saw his visitor. It was a monster, a ghostly skeleton. Boaris was disturbed by his appearance alone. His face was deformed, with cracks in his skull. He smiled at him. "Hello, Boaris."

What was going on? Was Boaris finally losing his mind? "Who are you?" he asked. "Why have you come here?"

"Don't you recognize me? It is I…" His voice boomed like some kind of cartoon announcer. "Gaster, the Science Master!"

Boaris shook his head. "Never in my life…"

"Well, it doesn't matter," Gaster said. "Let's get to the point. I am here to enlighten you on Malcom's true nature."

Boaris didn't understand. "Where did you come from? How did you get in here?"

"Irrelevant," Gaster said. "Please, focus on the topic at hand."

Malcom? What did he know about Malcom?

Gaster continued smiling. He seemed to be enjoying himself, excited to share whatever information he had to offer. "The President has played you for a fool, Boaris."

"What are you talking about?" Boaris demanded.

Gaster didn't answer right away. He floated around the room, as if to build suspense. "Boaris the Boar, I am surprised that you of all people would trust that human. Do you truly believe his goal is to imprison the monster race?"

Boaris scratched his head. "Umm, yes? That is the lynchpin of his presidency, after all. He fought hard to keep us imprisoned, and now that we've escaped, he's fighting to put us back Underground, as we must. We'll never be safe until we're back in the safety of the Underground."

Although Boaris didn't know why, Gaster chuckled. "Amazing. Every word you just said cannot possibly be further from the truth."

He dared to mock him? This self-proclaimed doctor who Boaris had never heard of? Boaris wanted to fry him with lightning. "Who are you to make such claims?"

"It's a shame you don't remember me," Gaster said. "I have the power to restore lost memories, but the one thing I cannot make you remember is myself. I never existed. I cannot restore memories that never existed."

Boaris had no idea what he was talking about, and he didn't care. "You speak nonsense. Begone, spirit. Leave me to my imprisonment."

"Really? I would think you would appreciate some company after being trapped in solitary confinement for so long."

… Boaris had to admit, this encounter did break up the monotony. He supposed he would humor him for a while. "Fine, what do you wish to tell me?"

Gaster was happy to share it. "Do you really think Malcom will be satisfied with sending monsterkind back Underground? We've escaped once; what's stopping us from escaping again? No, Malcom won't stop there. He won't rest until every single monster on Earth is reduced to dust."

What? No, that couldn't be true. Boaris would have been able to tell if he was lying, right?

"It's funny." Gaster said, "For someone who was manipulated himself, Jacob is a clever manipulator. When he looked for a monster to carry out his plan, he knew exactly who to use. Before Frisk, you would have been perfectly happy to watch humanity burn, permanently, but after? You realized that all you wanted was to prevent the war from ever happening again, so no one will ever lose their loved ones the way you lost yours. You were the perfect tool."

That… that couldn't be true! It couldn't be! After everything he had been through… there was no way!

Gaster continued smiling his smug smile. "Don't feel too bad. Much like Frisk, Jacob can be very persuasive. He didn't become President just for being the former President's son, although it certainly helped."

Boaris refused to believe a word this vile specter said. Why was he telling him these lies? Why couldn't he leave him in peace? "No," he said. "You are either lying or delusional. The President's aim is to send us back Underground, nothing more."

"Ah, look at that," Gaster said. "What we have here is a textbook example of the sunk cost fallacy. You placed your trust in Malcom. You put everything you had into his plan, sacrificing your own freedom to serve him, as well as bringing pain to countless others. At this point, it is only natural for you to desperately justify your actions, clinging to the belief that everything you've done was necessary."

Boaris felt as if this monster was trying to drill through his skull. He changed his mind. Solitary confinement was bliss compared to this torture. "Enough!" he demanded. "You have no proof! I will not listen to you!"

"You already know he is capable of lying," Gaster pointed out. "He claims to be entirely uninvolved in your act of terror. He insists that you ambushed him, taking his soul by force. Don't you think people should know the truth?"

The truth… Boaris shook his head. "No, sometimes it is better for the truth to remain buried. The truth can be dangerous. Just look at the war. The war didn't start until the power of soul absorption had been discovered. If that power had been kept a secret, there would have been no need for a war."

Gaster floated closer to him, so close that they were almost touching. "Did your daughter know about it?"

That was it! Boaris had enough of this madman! He charged up a bolt of lightning and sent it flying towards that sadistic creature.

_Click!_

As Boaris cast his magic, his vision went blank for a brief moment. When it returned, Gaster had moved a few feet to the side, just clear of his lightning. Gaster was unharmed by the attack.

"How uncivilized," Gaster taunted. "I am trying to have a polite conversation with you."

How dare he speak of his daughter in such a manner! Was he soulless like Asriel? Boaris was going to destroy him. He summoned his axe and grasped it tightly.

Gaster made no move to fight back. "Just consider it, will you? You really should tell everyone what Jacob did. Give it some thought; you have plenty of time."

Boaris was done listening to him. He raised his axe…

"Hey! What's going on in here?!"

_Click!_

Gaster disappeared, and a prison guard came running into Boaris's cell. He saw him, with his axe in hand. He drew his firearm and took aim. "What the hell are you doing?! Drop that!"

Boaris sighed and dissolved his weapon. The guard continued to point his gun, glaring hatefully at Boaris. "You freak. Try that again, and you're dead."

Boaris sat down in his cot. The guard seemed satisfied, and he left. He closed the door, and Boaris was returned to his solitude.

Now that he was gone, Boaris thought more about what Gaster said. He had to be wrong, right? Malcom's campaign had always been to contain monsterkind, not destroy it. Gaster couldn't have been telling the truth.

… but, what if he was? What if Malcom was planning to attack? Was Boaris truly sending his own kind to their deaths? No, no! Boaris wasn't so easily fooled! He would have known! He…

… he didn't know. No matter what Boaris told himself, there was no telling what Malcom was planning. He thought rebuilding the barrier would satisfy him, but how could he know for sure? Would the barrier really ensure that monsters never returned to the surface?

No, it didn't. Even when the barrier was under military guard, Frisk broke through, and monsterkind returned to the surface. Boaris thought he could convince monsters to willingly stay Underground, but that was a longshot, wasn't it? Most monsters may not have desired power, but they did desire freedom. Was there any way to ensure they remained imprisoned, besides killing them?

Boaris still believed returning Underground was the right thing to do. He wasn't changing his mind there, but he started to realize that it may have been a futile endeavor. Few monsters would see things his way, if any. Confinement wasn't in their nature. They would want to break free, despite the immense danger. They were so foolish. Why couldn't they see it was only a matter of time until someone else ended up like his daughter?

He used to blame the humans for her death, but over time, he slowly began to accept that it was her own fault. She had proven that a monster could willingly absorb and wield a human soul, demonstrating exactly why humans and monsters must be separated.

Still, maybe Gaster had a point. Perhaps people deserved to know the role Malcom played in the attack. It would seem rather convenient, the monster who destroyed everything suddenly accusing a human of assisting him, but he had to do something. Hopefully, Malcom would be removed from power, and someone more reasonable would take his place.

Boaris continued to sit in his cell and wait. Next time Selena visited, he would have something to say.

* * *

"Have you heard?"

"Oh my God!"

"Is this real?!"

"This  _has_ to be a hoax, right?"

"How could she?"

It was the day before the trial. The classroom was ablaze with chatter. Elizabeth had been successfully indicted, and the news had spread like wildfire. The former president and mother of the current president, on trial for murdering her own daughter. Needless to say, it was a big deal.

Unfortunately, the press release included several key details of the case, including the fact that Felicia and Chara were sharing the same body. This led to some… unwanted attention.

Chara was surrounded by a mob of her classmates, all full of questions.

"Is it true?! You have Felicia's soul?"

"Can she hear us?"

"Which one are you right now?"

"Did your mother really kill you?"

"Hey, Felicia, how does it feel to be trapped inside this psychopath?"

"This must be why Chara hasn't murdered anyone yet. Felicia's stopping her."

"Thanks, Felicia!'

This was rather annoying.

The teacher, Mr. Hemlock, tried to get everyone's attention. "Umm, hey. I know we're all highly engaged with current events, but can we please –"

Everyone ignored him and continued to harass Chara. Elodie tried to calm them down, to no avail. Felicia grew sick of it. She took control. Her eyes glowed bright red, and she swung her arm in a wide sweeping motion. "Would you give us some space?!"

The entire crowd was scared half to death, like Chara would consume their souls in a demonic rage. They backed off, and with a deep breath, Felicia calmed down. "Yes," she said. "I am Felicia. My mother killed me, and I hope she pays for what she did. She deserves to die; I hope justice is served."

"… she really killed you over monsters?" someone asked.

Felicia nodded. "Yeah, that's how strongly she felt about it."

"That's sick!"

Indeed, almost everyone who heard this was disgusted. The majority of the crowd shook their heads and murmured amongst themselves, discussing how horrible Elizabeth was. However, a few people were skeptical that Felicia was telling the truth. They stared at Felicia with distrust.

"Why should we believe you?" one of them asked. "This whole Felicia thing sounds made up if you ask me. This is just one of Chara's tricks."

Another student agreed. "Yeah, we can't trust a word that comes out of this psycho's mouth."

"She's just trying to make Malcom's supporters look bad."

Tightening her fists, Felicia's gut twisted.  _God, they treat you like garbage._

_That's old news,_ Chara replied.  _Don't worry about it. I'm just concerned how we'll prove your existence to the court._

_Yeah…_

Elodie, meanwhile, couldn't just standby and listen to them. Enraged, she spoke up. "Hey! Say what you will about Chara, but Felicia is real! Show some respect!"

Elodie's protest did little to convince the skeptics. Felicia tried to calm her down, holding her shoulder. "It's okay, Elodie. Save it for tomorrow."

"Sorry," she whispered, "but it makes me so mad. You  _died_ , and these people won't give you a chance."

"Well, it  _is_  pretty hard to believe," Felicia reminded her. "It took a while for me to convince you, after all."

Seeing her point, Elodie looked away in shame. "Yeah, I guess."

Elodie looked a little upset, but Felicia wasn't sure why. "Hey, it's alright," Felicia assured her. "What are you worried about?"

"I just want to help you," Elodie said. "I know I have no responsibility for what Monty did to you, but I still feel like I have to make up for it. I just… want to show you that this world isn't as bad as you might think, you know?"

Felicia was a bit taken aback by Elodie's words. It was a surprisingly sweet thing to say. Felicia smiled at her. "Thanks, Elodie. That's really nice of you."

Elodie's cheeks flushed. "Y-yeah, no problem."

Felicia wasn't sure why Elodie was so worked up, but then she remembered they were still surrounded by their classmates. For some reason, they were even more fixated on her than before. Felicia glanced angrily at them. "Would you guys stop staring at us? It's creepy!"

They finally got tired of harassing them. They went back to their seats. Both Mr. Hemlock and Felicia breathed a sigh of relief as class started.

The rest of the class proceeded normally, but neither Chara nor Felicia could focus on the lecture. The impending trial weighed heavily on their minds. Soon, they would be face-to-face with Elizabeth. With Selena's help, they had gathered as much evidence against her as they could, but was it enough? If Elizabeth was found innocent, that was it. She would be free, and World Masters were forbidden from using resets to change the outcome of a criminal trial. They had to get this right.

Before Felicia knew it, the class ended. She got up and started to leave, but Hemlock stopped her. "Excuse me, Felicia. May I have a word?"

Felicia approached him. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to wish you luck," Hemlock said. "What Elizabeth did to you was inhuman. I can't imagine how someone could justify a political assassination against their own daughter. I hope history remembers her as one of our cruelest leaders."

Felicia felt the same way. "Me too."

"Well, that's all," Hemlock said. "I'm just a lowly history teacher, but I'm rooting for you."

Felicia smiled. It felt good to know there were people on her side. "Don't worry, we've got this. Bye, Hemlock."

He waved. "See you."

Felicia left the room and proceeded to Chara's next class. More people were probably going to accost them with questions. This was going to be a long day. Well, it's far from the worst thing Felicia had been through. Maybe it was a good thing. She wanted everyone to know what Elizabeth had done.

Yeah, Felicia was tired of hiding. The world would be better without Elizabeth, and she was going to tell everyone.

* * *

After school, Felicia, Flowey, and Elodie arrived home. Toriel was away at work, and Frisk wasn't there, either. He said he had to run an errand first. Chara hoped he wouldn't be long.

"Well, trial's tomorrow," Flowey said. "Tomorrow, Elizabeth and Monty's fates will be sealed. I'm excited!"

Elodie didn't look so excited. She looked troubled, and Flowey took notice. "Hey, why the long face?" he asked. "Your evil father's gonna be executed! Be happy!"

No, she wasn't happy. She wasn't happy at all.

"… I've been thinking," Elodie whispered. "Does Monty really have to die?"

Felicia was afraid of this. Even after hearing everything from Monty himself, Elodie was still feeling doubt. Felicia had to erase that doubt.

"He has to die," Felicia said. "He's an insane, power-hungry lunatic."

Elodie looked afraid to upset her, but she continued to speak her mind. "Don't get me wrong. I was angry with him when I found out, and I still am. Although, now that I've calmed down, I can kind of understand why he did it. N-not that I agree with him, but… I don't know. I don't know how to feel about him anymore. I'm so confused."

She was confused? Part of Felicia wanted to scream at her. Maybe she should try getting tortured to death, see how she likes it. Felicia only held back because Elodie was her friend.

"Elodie, nothing justifies what he did to me," Felicia said. "Absolutely nothing. This shouldn't even be a debate."

Elodie stood silently. She wanted to argue, but it seemed that she couldn't find the words.

Someone opened the front door. Frisk had arrived. He walked in, carrying a small box. He greeted them with a smile. "Hey, everyone! I'm…" He quickly noticed the tension in the room. "Everything alright?"

Flowey explained the situation. "For some strange reason, Elodie thinks we should let Monty live. Felicia's not happy about that."

Frisk frowned. "Oh, I see."

Elodie looked at Frisk with pleading green eyes. "Frisk, I know I have no right to ask favors of you, but please think about it. I still believe there is a good side to Monty."

"You really don't have the right," Flowey said. "Where was that empathy of yours when you murdered Chara? It's a lot different when the bad guy is someone you care about, huh?"

That cut deep into Elodie's heart. She whimpered. "I know… but…"

Felicia really couldn't have this. "You don't know what it was like," she said. "Every single time,  _every single time_ he killed me, he showed no remorse. There's no reason to spare him."

Flowey agreed. "I know Asriel said don't kill, but I think Monty merits an exception."

Elodie nervously held her hands. "I'm just saying, maybe he's not  _completely_ evil. He's just trying to solve the problem this world has presented us, and looking at our President, I think we can all agree it's a very serious problem."

"I will admit," Flowey said. "It's gotta be the most interesting justification for torturing a thirteen-year-old girl to death that I've ever heard."

Felicia was getting irritated. She raised her voice. "Yeah, humans are worried that monsters are too dangerous to exist, so Monty's solution is to create an even  _more_ dangerous force. That makes sense!"

"W-well, in his mind, it does!" Elodie snapped. "Like it or not, this world is a landmine just waiting to be set off! Just seven souls, and it's over! Can you blame him for trying to do something about it?!"

Felicia was taken aback by Elodie's anger.  _I don't understand,_  she thought.  _I thought she hated Monty. Why is she defending him so vehemently?_

_Actually, this isn't so surprising,_ Chara said.  _When you told Elodie the truth, her first reaction was to deny it, refusing to believe that her father was a murderer. However, when Monty admitted to it himself, she became infuriated, and she tried to fight him. Now that her anger has passed, she's bargaining, trying to convince herself that Monty isn't all bad. To summarize, I believe Elodie is going through her natural grieving process. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance._

Grieving, huh? Ha, as if Monty was worth grieving over. Felicia wished she'd skip to the acceptance stage already.

Elodie looked at Frisk again. He still had yet to take a side. It didn't look like he wanted to. He looked afraid to offend either Felicia or Elodie. That didn't stop Elodie from pressing him. "Frisk, what do you think? Do you think Monty deserves mercy?"

Frisk looked at her thoughtfully, and he gave his answer. "I know how you feel. As horrible as he is, I believe there is good in Monty. Still, I don't think we have a choice. If Monty confesses to his crimes, he will be punished severely. There's nothing we can do about that."

Yeah, even if they wanted to spare Monty, it was out of their hands. Felicia was sure that Elodie understood that; she just didn't want to believe it.

Elodie lowered her head in defeat. She looked so sad. "I guess that's true…"

Maybe Felicia was being a little harsh on her. She had to remember that, mere days ago, Elodie had called Monty her father. Felicia knew exactly what it was like to be betrayed by family.

Elodie looked back up. "Hey, Chara, what about you? What do you think?"

Chara took over so she could speak. "Well, he zealously fights for what he perceives as the greater good, but he cares little about how he achieves it. In other words, he's a firm believer in the idea that ends justify the means, to a fanatical degree."

Elodie nodded sadly. "I see…"

"And let me ask you this," Chara said, "what do you think Monty is planning now? As soon as Malcom revealed what I was, he found what he was he was searching for, but do you think he is satisfied? Is it enough that he's found a demon?"

"… no," Elodie said. "He wants you to kill, to become stronger. He won't be satisfied until you reach the highest level."

Frisk's eyes widened. "Are you saying that he's gonna force you to kill?"

Chara nodded. "Yes, that's what I believe he's planning. I'm not sure how. For one thing, he has to worry about your ability to reset. It's possible that he may try to block it the same way Eli did. We have to keep an eye on him."

Frisk shuddered at the thought. "A second Melty?"

"He wouldn't be able to reset himself," Chara reminded him. "Like Eli, he wouldn't be able to reset once his DT exceeds his natural capacity, and his ability to fight would be crippled. Unlike the amalgamates, humans cannot survive the loss of physicality caused by excess DT. However, he  _can_ stop you from resetting, and if you die, that's it."

"I don't think that's his style," Flowey said. "That's not how he dealt with Felicia. Nah, I think he prefers to torture his victims across time and space, like Sans!"

Chara spoke with a sharp edge in her voice. "Regardless, we cannot trust him. Please be careful. There's no telling when he may strike."

Frisk clearly didn't want to experience Monty's wrath. He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I will."

Chara eyed the box Frisk had been holding the whole time. "Frisk, what was that errand you went on?"

He smiled. "Oh, not much. I just got you something."

Frisk presented the small, white box to Chara, and he opened it. Inside was a set of chocolate truffles. With a lightened heart, Chara smiled. "Oh, Frisk. You're so sweet."

"I figured you could use a treat before the storm," he said.

"Wait, this looks familiar," Flowey said. "They're not poisoned, are they?"

Feeling awkward, Elodie averted her eyes. How could he say that? Felicia hated that flower so much.

Chara simply laughed it off. "As if Frisk would ever hurt me. Although, just to be safe…" Chara picked one of the chocolates and handed it to Frisk. "Have one, Frisk."

Frisk took the chocolate and popped it in his mouth. At the same time, Chara took another truffle from the box and ate it. She seemed to enjoy it very much. She savored its sweetness as she chewed it.  _So good!_

Frisk finished his truffle. "So, did you like…"

Chara pulled Frisk close and kissed him deeply, swirling her tongue inside his mouth. The taste of chocolate was fresh on their breath. She giggled. "Mhmm, a chocolate Frisk. It's a dream come true!"

Frisk blushed, his heart pounding. "Glad you liked it."

… Felicia wasn't even going to say anything. There was no controlling those shameless lovebirds. Still, Felicia wished that Chara would at least  _give her some warning_ so she could block the sensations _._

"Nice to see you two are focused on the job," Flowey facetiously said. "Really, you're doing everything you can to prepare."

"We are!" Chara exclaimed. "We've already gone over the plan with Selena; the best we can do now is relax. We must rest and rejuvenate our minds, so we'll be ready for tomorrow."

"Let's play a game," Frisk suggested, "or maybe watch an anime. I think Felicia is the only one here who isn't a total anime nerd."

"She must be converted," Chara said.

Felicia wasn't in the mood to mess around. She knew the case was mostly in Selena's hands, but she felt like there had to be something she could do. She had to do everything she could to make sure they were ready. She couldn't let Elizabeth win.

_If you don't mind,_ Felicia said,  _I would like to go over the plan one more time._

"Oh, all right." Chara addressed the group. "Felicia says she wants to review the plan once more, and then we'll relax."

"Fine by me," Frisk said.

Elodie nodded. "Alright."

Together, they went over everything they had against Elizabeth.


	44. You Can't Handle the Truth

The courthouse lobby was packed to capacity. Humans and monsters alike filled the room, discussing the crimes Elizabeth had been accused of. Felicia was almost overwhelmed. All these people were here to witness her story. Felicia knew she was basically a modern-day princess, yet all this attention felt surreal. She wanted to tell everyone about Elizabeth, and here they were.

Everyone came.

It was a daunting task, but fortunately, Felicia didn't have to do it alone. Chara, Frisk, Elodie, and Flowey were by her side, and many of their friends were among the crowd.

One of them approached. "Stop right there, you little punk!"

To his surprise, Undyne sprinted towards Frisk and lifted him off the ground in a bone-crushing hug. "Where have you been, little guy? It's been a while! Too busy fighting evil presidents to see me?"

Frisk was nearly asphyxiated by Undyne's grip. He struggled to speak. "U-Undyne, not so tight."

Mercifully, Undyne let go of Frisk and gave him a pat on the head. "Go kick some ass, Frisk!"

Frisk smiled. "Take it easy, Undyne. There will be no fighting today. We're going to handle this like civilized people."

Undyne waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I know. No badass fight to the death. Just a lame trial with people in suits yelling at each other."

Felicia just wanted Elizabeth to get what she deserved. She didn't need some spectacle of violence to satisfy her. Stopping Elizabeth was all that mattered.

Undyne faked a cough. "Boring!"

"Hey," Frisk said, "court is awesome. People may not fight physically, but they still make arguments. Don't you want to see a passionate battle of words?"

"… yeah!" Undyne exclaimed. "You go make that argument, Frisk. Argue with  _all your power!_ Slam the truth in everyone's face!"

"We will!"

As Undyne got pumped, another familiar face approached. It was Sans. He waved. "Hey."

Frisk welcomed him warmly. "Hi, Sans!"

"So, here we are again," Sans said. "It seems like yesterday you stood in the judgment hall, ready to determine the fate of the world. You just love getting into trouble, don't you?"

"You said it yourself," Frisk reminded him. "I'm not a normal kid."

"Well, you're not the only one," Sans said. He glanced at Felicia. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I just want to win," Felicia answered.

Sans chuckled. "Yes, I can see that. You have the expression of someone who's  _very_ tired of losing."

Yeah, she was. She couldn't afford to lose this time.

"Hey, where's Gaster?" Flowey asked. "Will he be gracing us with his presence, or will he stick to the shadows?"

"He's on his way right now," Sans said.

Sure enough, Gaster approached shortly, along with Papyrus. Flowey shot Gaster an angry look. Until now, they hadn't seen him a single time since rescuing him. "Where the hell have you been?" Flowey demanded.

"Just making some friends," Gaster nonchalantly replied.

Felicia was already sick of his clandestine bullshit. It was time to have a talk with him. "Gaster," she said, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you have to warn us before pulling a stunt like you did with Jacob."

Gaster disagreed. "Where's the fun in that?"

Felicia's blood boiled. "God, you're insufferable!"

"Tell me about!" Papyrus exclaimed. "Sans never tells anybody anything, and the new guy is no different!" He sighed. "Well, at least he doesn't take as many naps!"

Papyrus was here, too? This was the first time Felicia had met him, but she had heard enough to know that he was essentially a naïve child, with little understanding of how cruel the world could be. How did he handle learning what Elizabeth did? Was he even capable of comprehending it?

Frisk seemed to have the same idea. He spoke to him slowly. "Umm, hey Papyrus. How are you?"

"I'm great!" Papyrus answered. "Everything is going to be great! You're going to teach the bad people a lesson, and everyone will be happy!"

Okay, Papyrus was the same as ever, an eternal optimist. Was he ever not happy?

"Damn right!" Undyne exclaimed. "The bad guys are going down! I just wish I could do more than watch."

Frisk looked fondly at all of them. "Just seeing all of you is enough," he said. "Really, I'm glad you came. Thank you."

Undyne playfully rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you saccharine weenine. Just give us a good show, alright?"

"Did someone say show?!"

Mettaton EX flew into the scene, accompanied by his cameraman, Napstablook. "Hello, darlings!" Mettaton exclaimed. He shoved a microphone in Felicia's face. "Would you be so kind as to address our lovely audience? They're all clamoring to hear what you have to say!"

Felicia wasn't sure how to feel about this guy. Everything she knew about him painted him as a total egomaniac, and after going through that alternate timeline, even Frisk seemed wary of him. He was having a hard time getting Undyne's death out of his head, but at the same time, Felicia could tell he was clinging to his hope that  _this_ Mettaton would never do that. That was Frisk, always trying to see the best in everyone.

Napstablook held their camera patiently, levitating it beside their head. "Umm, would you like to say anything? I mean, if you want to."

Felicia looked into the camera. "Just watch and see," she said. "This should be an open-and-shut case."

Mettaton gasped. "My, my! Aren't you confident?"

As Mettaton said that, an army of press followed him to interrogate Felicia, flashing cameras and shouting questions, much to Felicia's chagrin. She was just about to explain everything in court, would a little patience kill them?

Mercifully, security broke up the press. Agents Campbell and Clark pushed them away. "Back off!" Clark barked. "You know the rules! No unauthorized contact with the witnesses!"

Campbell was more amicable. "Easy, everyone," he said. "The trial will start in just a few minutes. Hold off until then, okay?"

Napstablook turned away in shame. "Oh, I'm sorry," they apologized, even though this was Mettaton's fault. "I didn't mean to be a problem. Sorry…"

"I suppose you have a point," Mettaton said. "Let's get this show on the road."

Campbell's reminder got their attention. The press left for their places in the courtroom., leaving Felicia alone. She sighed in relief, and Campbell smiled at her. "There, isn't that better? No need to thank me."

"Okay, then," Felicia said.

"Hey, this is the part where you thank me anyway!" Campbell exclaimed.

She shook her head. "Nah."

"Aw, come on!"

"You said no need for thanks, Neil," Clark said, "so stop complaining."

Campbell held up his finger. "But you see, Rosalene, the thing is, I didn't ask for it, but I should still… well… umm… shoot."

Despite her jests, Felicia liked Campbell. A bit quirky, but nice. There were certainly worse people in the Military Police.

"Well, fine," Campbell said. "I guess you guys should get going, too."

Felicia nodded. "Yes, it's about time."

"Good luck!" Papyrus said.

"This is nothing," Undyne said. "You've got this in the bag."

"It'll be easy," Sans said. "Especially for me. I'm really efficient at my job."

"I wish you victory," Gaster said. "I believe your success is in all of our best interests."

Frisk waved at them as they started to leave. "Thanks, everyone. We won't let you down."

They headed into the courtroom, weaving through the crowds to their seats at the front. Felicia looked around the room. Where was she? Where was Elizabeth?

Felicia saw her. Elizabeth was at her seat on the other side of the aisle. Like everyone else from her past, she was much older, about seventy. Seeing her like this really drove in how overdue her punishment was. Why had she been allowed to walk the Earth as a free woman for so long?

Their eyes met. Elizabeth had an irate look on her face, as if this whole trial was merely a nuisance, a bothersome disruption of her normal schedule. If she had ever felt shame for what she had done, it was long gone. She didn't care.

"Felicia…"

She nearly jumped out of her seat. She was so fixated on Elizabeth that she didn't notice the woman standing right beside her. Who…? It was Flora… Flora! Ha, she always had a way of sneaking up on her.

"Felicia, is that you?" Flora asked.

"Y-yes," Felicia said. "It's me."

Flora held her chest, pained sorrow plastered on her face. "I thought you were dead."

"I was," Felicia said.

Flora shook her head. "No, you just… took a really long nap."

She smiled. "Then, why didn't you wake me up? Do you realize how late I am for school?"

Flora smiled back, nothing but fondness in her light blue eyes. "I was waiting patiently for you."

Felicia felt her stomach lurch, mourning everything she had lost. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long."

Flora hugged her. "It's alright, Felicia."

Felicia should have realized it long ago.  _Flora_ was her mother, not Elizabeth. She may not have shared Flora's blood, but it was Flora who was always there for her. She was the one who cared about her. She didn't need DNA to tell her that.

Flora let go. "Now, we have a trial to win."

Right, they could catch up later. Felicia took one more look around the courtroom. The judge was Julius Jessup, a judge known for remaining as impartial as possible, only concerned with ensuring a fair trial. His stance on monsters seemed more in favor than against, so hopefully there wouldn't be any bias from him.

She kept looking around. Monty was there, smug as ever. Jacob was there. Nate and Nora were there, along with their parents, John and Eva. Many of Frisk's friends were there as well. Alphys sat with the other scientists. Asgore and Toriel were watching closely, and everyone they had met in the lobby was making their way inside the courtroom.

Besides Elizabeth, another high-profile figure sat with the defense counsel. General Jaeger, second only to Jacob himself in the Military Police chain of command, and a vociferous opponent of human-monster integration. With all the monsters here, he stuck out like a sore thumb. The sight of him gave Felicia a bad feeling.

_I don't like this,_ Chara said.  _Too many monsters in one place._

Felicia hadn't considered that.  _You think they might try something?_

_If I wanted to kill as many monsters as possible, this would be an excellent opportunity._

…  _well, if it comes to that, Frisk can reset,_ Felicia hopefully thought.

_Even if he does, it could be a problem,_ Chara said.  _Remember_ ,  _a World Master is not permitted to use resets in an attempt to change a trial's outcome._

_But, it wouldn't be about that,_ Felicia protested.  _He would reset to stop the terrorists, not for the trial._

_That could be difficult to prove. Unfortunately, everyone who explicitly remembers resets happens to be against Elizabeth. Even with the déjà vu effect, it would look suspicious._

Damn it, was that Elizabeth's plan? Force Frisk to reset? If Elizabeth had something up her sleeve, she could kill so many people here, and to top it off, they still had Monty to worry about. So many things could go wrong, but it was too late to stop now.

"All rise."

At last, the trial began. The Bailiff called for everyone's attention, and Judge Jessup addressed the prosecution. "Is the government prepared to make an opening statement?"

Selena walked forward, and she began. "Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case concerns the political assassination of Felicia Malcom, committed by the defendant, Elizabeth Malcom."

Selena paced around the room as she spoke. Her tone was calm and professional, with the practiced skill of an experienced lawyer. "Shortly after turning thirteen, Felicia realized that her determination had surpassed all others, making her the new World Master. Little did she know, this power would turn out to be her downfall.

"It is common knowledge that Elizabeth was an ardent supporter of the Barrier, but Felicia did not share her mother's beliefs. She wanted to destroy the Barrier, and once she became the World Master, Elizabeth decided that she had to be silenced. After dying over two-hundred times to Elizabeth's assassins, Felicia surrendered, and Elizabeth discreetly killed her once and for all by injecting her with a deadly filovirus. Until now, everyone believed that Felicia had contracted the disease naturally."

Everyone had already learned this much from the press briefings, but it was still an unnerving story to hear. The people watched in tense silence, waiting to hear how Selena was going to prove her case.

"However," Selena continued, "new evidence has come to light. Thanks to Chara Dreemurr, Felicia's soul has been reawakened. For the first time in history, a murder victim will testify for her own trial. With all the evidence gathered, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the individuals Elizabeth Malcom, Monty Togami, and Mitsue Kawasaki engaged in a conspiracy to commit murder, which resulted in Felicia's death."

Selena concluded her opening statement and sat down. It was Elizabeth's turn. She walked to the front. Strangely, she had chosen to defend herself. Was she even trying to win? Since when did she take matters into her own hands? Her preferred strategy had always been to manipulate others behind the scenes. Why was she showing her face now?

In any case, Elizabeth was also no stranger to public speaking. She spoke in a commanding, authoritive tone. "My fellow citizens," she began, "do not be tricked. My daughter passed from this world long ago. There is no proof that the entity within the body of Chara is truly Felicia Malcom. They could be anyone, fabricating a fairy tale to slander myself and everything I stand for. Before the prosecution presents its case, ask yourselves one thing. Who are you going to trust? Your former president, or the demon who tried to kill us all?"

…  _fuck,_ Chara swore.

How could she? How could she deny everything she had done? Felicia saw why she had chosen to defend herself. She couldn't find anyone willing to soil their tongue with her lies, could she?

_Die,_ Felicia growled. _You should die. You may have given me life, but you took it away. Why won't you admit it? You are what it means to be unworthy of life._

Elizabeth concluded her opening statement and returned to her seat, and the judge called for prosecution to begin presenting witnesses. Selena turned to Felicia. She was the first one up.

Before she left, Elodie held her hand. "You can do this," she whispered. "Don't let Elizabeth get to you."

_She's right,_ Chara said.  _Elizabeth knows you're prone to anger. Don't allow her to exploit that._

That was easier said than done, but Felicia would do her best. "I'll try," she whispered back.

"Just don't lose yourself," Elodie said. "Stay calm, and we'll win this."

Felicia knew she was right. As long as she kept her cool, Elizabeth would not get away. Containing her rage, she walked to the front and sat in the witness stand.

It was just like she had seen on TV. Felicia swore her oath, and then Selena questioned her. Through her questions, Felicia once again retold her story in complete detail, emphasizing all the horrific things Elizabeth and Monty had done to her. She spoke of Jacob's deaths, and how Elizabeth despicably tried to turn Felicia against her own friends by passing off the blame.

"And how did you find out it was Elizabeth?" Selena asked.

"She said it herself," Felicia answered. "When I saw through her last trick, Monty dragged me to her. She explained everything, telling me that I had to die. She claimed she didn't have a choice, and she watched Monty torture me right in front of her. I didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying it. My mother wanted me dead."

As Felicia spoke, Elizabeth didn't so much as flinch. She just stared at Felicia with cold, emotionless blue eyes. Did she really feel nothing? No regret? No fear? What was going on inside her twisted mind?

Selena proceeded to question Felicia about Monty. She talked about the final battle, Monty's insane motivations, and then they were finished. Selena concluded her questioning, and Elizabeth approached her for cross examination. Finally, Felicia and Elizabeth were face-to-face.

"What is your name?" Elizabeth asked.

Felicia tired not to clench her fists.  _You fucking know who I am._

Chara reminded her to stay calm.  _Felicia…_

"… I am Felicia Malcom," she answered.

"And do you have any way to verify your identity?" Elizabeth questioned. "Is there any way you can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that you are the person you say you are?"

Felicia knew this was coming. Selena had instructed her, above all else, to tell the truth. Unlike Elizabeth, she had to be entirely honest.

"… no," Felicia said. "Aside from my word, I can't prove it."

Murmurs whispered throughout the audience. If Felicia could prove she was Felicia, it didn't seem like she had a case at all.

"However," Felicia said, "I can at least prove that I'm not Chara. The remaining witnesses will have more to say about that."

Elizabeth turned away. "No further questions." She walked back to her seat.

…  _that's it? After all this time, that's all you have to say?_

_What did you expect?_ Chara said.  _We're in court, remember? If she gives even the slightest impression that she believes you, we win._

She… she knew that; she just… what did she want? Did she want Elizabeth to feel shame? Did she want Elizabeth to regret what she had done, or did she just want her dead? Elizabeth was beyond forgiveness, but would Felicia feel any better, knowing Elizabeth was truly sorry?

Well, it didn't matter. Even if she did want Elizabeth to repent, she wouldn't. Elizabeth held too much faith in her ideals. She firmly believed that she had done the right thing, and there was nothing Felicia could do to change her mind.

Felicia sat back down, and Selena called the next witness: Eva Miller. She was there to present evidence regarding Felicia's identity, based on experiments she conducted with John and Alphys.

Eva displayed a diagram, showing energy readings of Felicia's soul. "As any good soul researcher knows," Eva said, "long-term memory is stored in the essence, the core of one's being. As proven by Asriel and Chara, the essence can persist even after the soul is destroyed. Our studies have concluded that the soul stored in Chara's body houses two of these essences, confirming the presence of two separate individuals."

The scientist continued to go over their findings, explaining their methodology, how Chara's brain functions differently when on Felicia's n control, how the eye color changes, etcetera. Felicia knew how important this was, but… she couldn't help but feel bored. These scientists were as dull as she remembered.

Unfortunately, while the scientists could prove that  _someone_ was sharing Chara's body, they couldn't prove it was Felicia. If they had some neuroimaging data back when Felicia was alive, then it might have been possible, but it was far too late for that.

"That's all we could find out," Eva said sadly. "In short, all we can confirm is that Chara is not faking it. The original owner of the soul is awake, and she claims to be Felicia. That's all we know."

"I see," Selena said, not letting any disappointment show. "Eva, you and John had a relationship with the defendant, correct?"

Eva nodded. "Yes, we did."

"What was the nature of it?" Selena asked.

Guilt was clearly visible in Eva's face. She winced as she answered. "We shared once-classified research with them, about alternate timelines, the same research President Malcom has recently declassified. Shortly before Felicia's death, we discovered the anomaly in the timespace continuum, the one that destroys timelines.

"Naturally, we informed the President right away. I believe this is a key reason why Elizabeth was driven to kill Felicia."

"Objection!" Elizbeth called. "Witness is speculating and assuming facts."

"Sustained," Jessup said.

Felicia suppressed a growl. Court could be so annoying. Blah, speculation. It was obviously the truth.

Selena quickly moved on to the hard evidence. "As an expert on timeline physics, were you monitoring the timeline in the days leading up to Felicia's death?"

"Yes," Eva said.

"Tell me what you saw."

"About two days before Felicia fell ill… we detected a massive spike in resets. Nearly three hundred resets in total."

This got the crowd talking again. Finally, some damning evidence had come out. The scientists had hard data to back up Felicia's story. As she had said, the resets were there.

Selena continued her questioning. "Doctor Miller, in your expert, professional opinion, is it possible that Felicia was the World Master?"

"It is," Eva said.

"Thank you," Selena said. She turned to Elizabeth. "Your witness."

Elizabeth approached Eva. "Doctor Miller, how common are such spikes in reset activity?"

"They are very rare," Eva said.

"Have you detected any others in the past thirty years?"

"… yes," Eva said.

"When?"

"After Jacob Malcom lost his power, there were several. The unknown World Master between Malcom and Frisk was very active."

That damn flower…

"Then," Elizabeth said, "is it possible that the resets preceding Felicia's death are due to an unrelated incident? Caused by an unknown World Master?"

"… yes."

Elizabeth was satisfied. She turned back to her seat. "Witness is dismissed."

The atmosphere of the room changed again. As compelling as the evidence seemed, Elizabeth had reminded everyone that it was ultimately circumstantial. If Felicia was lying, then those resets would have been quite the coincidence. However, from the court's perspective, coincidence wasn't impossible. There was still doubt, and as the defendant, that was all Elizabeth needed. The burden of proof was on the prosecution, not the defense.

But Felicia couldn't lose hope yet. There was still a very important witness left.

Elizabeth sat down, and Selena stood up. "The government calls Monty Togami to the stand."

Here it was, the big one. Felicia watched with solemn anticipation. Was Monty really going to incriminate himself over Elizabeth? Was he really going to come out and say 'Yeah, I murdered her!' Was it really going to be that easy?

Selena faced Monty as he sat on the stand. "Monty Togami, have you…"

She froze, her red eyes wide with the spark of realization. What was going on? Until now, Selena had carried herself with unbreaking confidence, but suddenly she was shaking like Alphys. Was Monty getting to her somehow? He hadn't even spoken a word yet. Was he using some kind of spell on her? Felicia didn't remember Monty using any psychic abilities.

Monty smiled, like he knew exactly what was going on. "Yes? What is it?"

Selena struggled to regain her composure. Her body trembled, but she managed to get the words out. "H-have you ever been World Master?"

"I was," Monty said. "Before Felicia's determination peaked, I was the World Master."

"Th-then, your memory persists across resets?"

"Yes."

Selena swallowed hard. "Mr. Togami… were you involved in… w-were you… did you plot to kill Felicia Malcom?"

"Yes, I did."

… it was really that easy. The audience was in disbelief. How could someone confess to such a heinous crime so easily?

"Wh-with whom?" Selena asked.

"I was contacted by Elizabeth Malcom," Monty answered. "She said she needed the aid of an exceptionally powerful soldier to help deal with a threat to humanity, Felicia Malcom."

"And… what did you do?"

"Felicia already told you," Monty said. "Everything she said is true."

The crowd's murmurs erupted into cries. Monty was seriously confessing to the prolonged torture of a thirteen-year-old girl, and there wasn't a hint of shame on his face.

Selena muttered something under her breath. Monty tilted his head. "I'm sorry? You're gonna have to speak up."

Suddenly, Selena screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why?!" she shrieked. "How could you?!"

"Objection, your honor!" Elizabeth shouted. "Mrs. Miller is badgering the witness. The witness has rights."

"Sus –"

Selena's professional tone was gone. She seemed to forget everything about court procedure. "Why did you do it?!" she screeched.

"You don't have to answer that," Jessup said.

"I'll answer it," Monty said. "Why did I do it? My answer is the same as before. It's the same thing Felicia told you. I wanted to turn her into a demon."

"Why?!" Selena's distress… it reminded Felicia of Elodie's initial reaction. Selena's frantic tone carried a strong sense of betrayal. Felicia didn't understand. Why was Selena freaking out?

"Because we need one," Monty said. "Don't you agree?"

The audience continued to cry out, unable to fathom why Monty would want to bring another demon into the world. Jessup slammed his gavel and called for order, with limited success.

Selena turned away, like she wanted to leave. Her face scrunched up, as if she were ill. She looked at Judge Jessup. "Y-your honor," she muttered. "I'd like to ask for a recess."

"Very well," Jessup said. "Court will reconvene in one hour." He struck his gavel. Monty was taken back into custody, and the court was dismissed.

Felicia, Frisk, Flowey, Elodie, and Nate rushed to Selena as she walked back. She looked absolutely devastated. "Selena, what's wrong?" Nate asked.

"Don't worry about," she said. "I just need a minute. Sorry."

Nate wasn't going to let it go so easily. "But, what's wrong? I know Monty's a piece of work, but –"

"I said don't worry!" Selena snapped.

"After that, how do you expect me not to worry?"

"W-well…"

"Hey," Flowey said, "this isn't about you, remember? Felicia is counting on you, so you better tell us what's wrong!"

Selena whimpered. She didn't want to speak. She looked as confused as they were, like she couldn't accept what was happening.

"Selena," Frisk whispered, "do you… know Monty?"

After some hesitation, Selena shook her head. "No, I don't."

_Something tells me that's a lie,_  Chara said.

"Selena, please be honest with us," Felicia said. "If you know something about Monty, tell us."

"… this doesn't make sense," Selena breathed. "This doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" Nate asked. "Selena, please. Talk to us."

Selena breathed deeply, trying to pull herself together. "I don't  _know_  Monty," she said, "but… I may have seen him somewhere before."

"Seen him?" Frisk said. "What do you mean?"

"… n-no," Selena said. "I'm sure I was just mistaken, but… Monty looks like someone who saved my life once."

Saved her life…? Yeah, she had to be mistaken. Selena had said it herself; it didn't make sense.

Apparently, Nate had never heard of this. "What? You almost died? Selena, why didn't you tell me?"

"It was long before we met," she said. "I… I don't want to talk about it."

"Was it really that bad?"

Selena looked at him as if she had already said too much. "Please Nate, don't…"

Nate didn't like it, but he nodded in understanding. "Alright, I won't force you to relive it."

Selena breathed a sigh of relief, but there was guilt mixed in as well. "Nate, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept this secret for so long. I'll tell you soon, but for now, I need a minute to myself. Please excuse me."

She walked away, out of the courtroom, alone. Frisk watched her as she left, a worried expression on his face. "Should we follow her?"

Nate shook his head. "No, if she wants to be alone, we leave her alone." He lowered his head, yellow eyes lost in thought. "What happened to her, though? I swear, if someone hurt her…"

Felicia thought more about what Selena said. Could Monty really have saved her life? He was a Military Police officer, so maybe it wasn't impossible. Still, even if it was true, it didn't make up for what he did to her.

"Golly," Flowey said, "if she's right, that would be rather ironic, wouldn't it?"

"How so?" Nate asked.

"Don't you see? If Selena is right, then Monty killed your first love interest, but saved your future wife. That's kind of funny, don't you think?"

"Oh, umm, yeah. I guess."

Funny? More like confusing as hell. For Selena's own sake, Felicia prayed that she was wrong.

Elodie fidgeted; hearing heroic tales about Monty was the last thing she needed. Without really thinking about it, Felicia held her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Elodie said. "Monty's saved lots of people while he was in the Military Police. This isn't news to me."

… he did?

"Gosh," Flowey said. "It's like, Monty's actually some kind of person, but that's crazy, right?"

Felicia clenched her fists. "This doesn't change anything. Monty cannot hide from the law. He's already confessed to his crimes. He's finished, and Elizabeth's finished too."

"Hey, don't get me wrong," Flowey said. "I can't wait for Elizabeth and Monty to get what's coming to them."

Finally, Flowey said something that Felicia could get behind. They had Elizabeth on the ropes. She was sure of it. When the court returned, they would finish this.

Until then, they left the courtroom and waited.

* * *

Selena found an empty conference room and caught her breath. She couldn't believe it. She said she was probably mistaken, but that was a lie. She never felt so confused in her life. She knew her duty was to see justice served, to protect the innocent by punishing the wicked. If it weren't for people like her, criminals would run amok without consequences. She had to do her job.

But how could she convict the man who saved her life?

… was that selfish? Monty may have saved her life, but he had hurt others. Saving one person didn't make up for everything he did, everything he was willing to do. Maybe he did have a good side, but Selena had put better people behind bars. Murder couldn't be justified simply by crying 'greater good!' Selena knew that.

Still, if it weren't for Monty, Selena wouldn't be here. She never would have grown up. She never would have lived her life, never would have met Nate, never would have had her children. All those things would have never existed, if it weren't for the same man who ruined Felicia's life.

For a while, Selena just stood in the empty room perplexed, when she heard someone else walk in behind her. Who was it? Hadn't she made it clear that she didn't want to be followed? She turned around. It was one of the Military Police officers, assigned to protect Frisk. What was his name again?

The officer smiled at her with friendly green eyes. "Pardon me, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed very distressed back there."

"I'm sorry," Selena said, "you are…?"

"Agent Campbell," he said. "But please, call me Neil. I used to serve under your husband, before he was sadly discharged."

Selena knew he was just trying to help, but she really wanted to be left alone for a while. Sometimes, green souls could be a little  _too_ nice.

Before she could politely ask him to leave, Neil walked into the room and stood next to her. "I don't know why you were spooked," he said, "but I'm sure it's nothing. You can do this. I can tell you're a very determined person."

Well, that was nice, but where was this flattery coming from? "Uh, thanks," Selena said.

"Seriously," Neil said. "It's very hard to find someone as determined as you. You're  _full_ of determination, aren't you? I bet if you had just a little more, you would be the World Master."

She laughed. "I don't know about that."

"Come on, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure if you were just given a little push, you would jump right past Frisk."

Okay, now this was just getting weird. Selena eyed him suspiciously. "Umm…"

As her suspicions grew, another Military Police officer entered the room, closing the door shut behind her. Her blue eyes stared at Selena with murderous intent. What was going on?

"I wonder," Neil said, "just how much DT would it take?" He put his arm around Selena's shoulders. "Let's find out."

Selena tried to run, but the other officer blocked her exit. Neil lunged at her from behind, and Selena felt something prick her arm, piercing through her skin and filling her with something. She tried to scream, but the female officer seized her by the neck. With Selena restrained, Neil stood in front of her.

His smile wasn't so friendly anymore.

Selena saw the syringe Neil was holding before he continued injecting her with it. Her heart pounded in terror as she struggled desperately. What the hell were they doing to her?! She had to break free. She had to get away. She kicked and flailed her arms, but the difference between a civilian and a trained soldier was painfully clear.

"Just hold still," Neil soothed. "This will only take a minute."

The substance continued to flow into Selena's body. It didn't take her long to realize what it was. DT. What were they…? Oh, God… there were turning her into a melter. They wanted her to block Frisk's reset power. With the excess DT, Selena would become the World Master, but she wouldn't be able to control it. Frisk would be vulnerable. No,  _everyone's_ lives were in danger.

She  _had_ to escape! She fought back with all her strength. She jabbed her elbow back into the female officer's gut, staggering her and loosening her grip.

"You got her, Rosalene?"

Selena wasted no time. She tugged as hard as she could on her captor's arm, and she managed to break free. She was inches away from grabbing the door, when she felt something hard strike the back of her head. The pain throbbed as Neil threw her down on the ground, pointing his police baton at her.

"See what I mean?" Neil said. "Very determined, too bad it won't save you."

God damn it! Selena felt so damn  _useless_. Just a moment before, Neil had complemented her determination, and now he was mocking it.

"Enough with the theatrics, Neil," the female officer – Rosalene – chided. "Shut up and do your job."

"Oh, I'm getting to it. Don't worry."

Selena's hands shook with rage. Both of these officers were once under Nate's command. How could they turn on him so easily?

"You damn traitors," Selena muttered. She lifted her head at looked at Rosalene, who looked back at her with her cold blue eyes. "H-hey, I thought blue souls were supposed to be loyal."

"I  _am_  loyal," Rosalene said, "to Elizabeth Malcom."

_Fuck!_

Neil bent down and pressed the needle against her shoulder. Selena felt icy fear grasp her heart. She hated being so helpless, but she hoped someone would save her. Nate… where was Nate? He would save her, right?

Selena tried to call for help, but this earned her a boot to the neck. Rosalene nearly crushed her windpipe, the only sound that escaped was a faint whimper that poorly conveyed the pain she was feeling. She felt her bone fracture from the impact, but it was quickly healed by the excess DT.

"You know," Neil said, "I don't really like gratuitous violence. Just hold still, and we won't have to be so rough. Okay?"

Selena was a prosecutor, not an executioner. However, at that moment, nothing would have pleased her more than tearing Neil apart with her own hands. Rosalene, too, but Neil was  _really_ pissing her off. What kind of 'kindness' soul was he?

Neil hit her with another shot of DT, and Selena felt her body begin to change. Her physicality started to deteriorate, unable to handle the extra determination. Her skin started to melt, and –due to an unrelated condition – her face changed. Her eyes turned into a dark abyss, emptying her eye sockets, and black liquid seeped out of her vacant orbits.

_No, no, no!_

Neil's face scrunched up in disgust. He hadn't been expecting  _this_. "Well, what do you know? You're one of the  _freaks_!"

He lifted his foot and stomped her demonic face as hard as he could. The dark liquid sputtered out of her. Unfortunately, without any EXP or magic training, being a demon granted her no special powers. Well, except for Check, but the numbers only confirmed how helpless she was. She was just as mortal as any normal human.

Selena groaned. "Wh-whatever happened to 'hold still and you won't get hurt?'"

Rosalene was just as disgusted as Neil. "I can't believe a demon like you was hiding in plain sight. We'll make sure to dispose of you once we're done."

This… this couldn't be happening. She was worse than useless. At this rate, she was going to be the death of so many people. She couldn't die like this. She had to do something, but what? What could she do?

_Someone… please…_

_Save me._

* * *

" **She's a real devil in the courtroom."**

**-Nathan Miller**


	45. Heartbreak

Jacob stood alone in an empty hall, contemplating the ongoing trial.

It wasn't clear who was winning. Monty had confessed to everything, but how credible was it? His story was difficult to believe, and even more difficult to believe he would just admit to it. Was revenge against Elizabeth really worth bringing himself down? Would the jury accept that?

Then again, it was just as hard to believe he would make it up. In court, no evidence was more convincing than a confession. After all, why would anyone plead guilty to a crime they hadn't committed? That was how the average civilian saw it, anyway. Maybe the jury could understand if Monty was trying to take the blame for someone else, but that wasn't the case here, as Monty was trying to drag Elizabeth down with him. Jacob could only imagine how confused the jury was.

The deciding factor would likely be where each individual juror stood on the monster issue. Elizabeth's conviction would be a major blow to the pro-barrier movement. If everyone found out that the President who had supported the Barrier murdered her own child… yeah. Without a doubt, people on the pro-freedom side would love to see Elizabeth executed. The political ramifications of this trial were not to be taken lightly.

Despite that, he still hoped Elizabeth would be found guilty. No matter what he believed, he couldn't let Elizabeth get away with what she did to Felicia. For her, he would gladly put aside his political views to see justice severed. He would just have to convince everyone that not everyone who wanted the monsters gone were like Elizabeth; she was just a bad example.

… that was true, wasn't it?

"You look troubled, Son."

As Jacob agonized over these thoughts, the devil herself approached. Elizabeth walked to Jacob's side, with an irritated expression on her face. Did she truly feel no remorse for killing Felicia, or was she just hiding it like the politician she was?

Either way, Jacob didn't want to speak with her. When this trial was over, he hoped to never see her again.

Regardless, Elizabeth spoke to him. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Do you realize that you're putting all of humanity at risk?"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Jacob countered. "When this trial is over, no humans will be harmed."

Elizabeth scoffed. "Oh, how clever," she sneered. "You proud of yourself?"

"Are you?"

"I did what I had to, and I would do it all over again."

Jacob couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Elizabeth, do you realize you just admitted to killing Felicia?"

"We're off the record now," Elizabeth said. "No lawyers, no judge, just a nice chat between mother and son."

Jacob's fists clenched and shook. "How can you call yourself my mother after what you did?"

For a while, Elizabeth said nothing. She looked away and stared into nothingness. "… remember what I taught you? Anyone willing to take must also be willing to sacrifice. If I could give my life to end the monster threat, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but that wasn't an option. I had to make do with the cards I was given, and Felicia was the worst card I have ever been dealt.

"Perhaps I failed Felicia as a parent, but I haven't the faintest idea where I went wrong. I don't know why Felicia choose to oppose me. I truly wish she hadn't, but that's what happened."

Elizabeth turned to face him; her gaze seemed to pierce right though his soul. "For the good of humanity, I'm willing to destroy an entire species, and so are you. If we're willing to kill over a million innocents, why should we hesitate to kill one of our own? That's hypocrisy. This isn't a petty matter of racial superiority. This isn't foolish, irrational bigotry. It's necessary. It's nothing more than pragmatic survival. To ensure the safety of humanity, I'm willing to take everything the monsters have, and I'm also willing to give everything I have."

She, she made sense… n-no, no! Jacob couldn't listen to her.  _She killed Felicia._

But, Jacob failed to find words, and Elizabeth continued. "I am well-aware that monsters are no different from us. They're not monsters in the sense that they are mindless beasts. They have families, lovers, interests, aspirations, everything that makes you human. How many of them are someone else's Felicia? You are willing to kill thousands of Felicia's. Why should yours be any different?"

Jacob froze, every word Elizabeth spoke was like ice. He wanted to refute her, tell her she was wrong. How could she treat Felicia so coldly? How could she expect Jacob to treat her like anyone else? Felicia  _wasn't_ just anyone. She was  _his sister_ ; she was  _family_. She deserved special treatment!

… did she?

The more Jacob thought about it, the more his doubts spread. Elizabeth always had a way of getting inside his head, making him question himself. He felt like a child again, being taught by his superior elders how to behave.

"Everyone is counting on you," Mother said. "You have a duty to protect your people. I know it hurts, but remember that  _I'm_ counting on you as well."

Mother… had a point. How could Jacob be willing to take so many lives, and not expect to give anything in return? The monsters had to die, and if they stood in the way, humans had to die too. He could not discriminate. All threats to humanity had to be dealt with, and if Felicia was a threat, she was no exception.

But, did she really…?

With the last of his will, Jacob spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Did she really have to die?"

Mother nodded. "I wouldn't have done it otherwise. Had I not dealt with her while I had the chance, she would have been even worse than Frisk. Left unchecked, she likely would have won support of the Government, and she would have destroyed the Barrier legally, unlike Frisk who took it down without Government sanctions. If Felicia had her way, sending the monsters back would have been next to impossible."

Right, she was right. If Jacob could become President, then there was no doubt that Felicia could have done it. World Masters had the potential to alter the course of history. Felicia's heart was in the right place, but she had to be stopped.

Jacob came to his conclusion; he couldn't justify siding with Felicia  _or_ Mother. If he sided with Felicia, he was betraying his people, his Mother, and his honor as a President. But, if he sided with Mother, he was betraying Felicia, as well as his honor as a human being. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

Jacob felt as if he were being torn in half. What did he  _do_? He had to make a choice, but neither option was acceptable.

Mother sensed his distress, understanding exactly how he felt. "I know, Jacob," she gently said. "You can't choose between us. You never could. However, there is a way. There's a way you can avoid betraying either of us. Once monsterkind is destroyed, Felicia will be harmless. We will find a way to separate her from that demon, and she will be free."

Mother… was willing to spare Felicia…? Yes, yes! Once all the monsters were dead, there would be no reason to kill her! If Jacob wanted to guarantee Felicia's safety, he had to send monsters back Underground, where he could purge them once and for all. Those monsters were to blame for all of this. Jacob would end them gladly.

A fire burned passionately in Mother's blue eyes. "I have a plan. If all goes well, the monsters will be sent back home today, and anyone who gets in the way – human or monster – will be eliminated."

Today? It was all going to end today? "How is that possible?" Jacob incredulously asked.

"As we speak, Frisk's power is being neutralized. Luckily, we've found a suitable host for the job."

"You have a melter?"

Mother nodded. "Luckily, Selena Miller has just enough DT."

She kidnapped Selena? Hmm, well, it wasn't surprising that she hadn't found any volunteers. Only a highly determined soul could survive the process. If they weren't strong enough, the host's body would be reduced to a puddle before getting anywhere close to World Master. Finding a willing subject would have been extremely difficult, if possible at all.

"Just what are you planning?" Jacob asked.

"It's quite simple, really. We have a room full of monsters, as well as the human they love most. Monsters say their souls are made of love, hope, and compassion. If that is true, then will they be willing to let their hero die for them? What do they value more? Their freedom, or their lives?"

That… that was low, even by Jacob's standards, but if it had to be done…

Jacob moved on to the question that really mattered.

"What do you need from me?"

* * *

Holding Frisk's hand, Chara walked back inside the courtroom. There was still no sign of Selena, but court was supposed to resume in just a few minutes. Where was she?

Felicia, like everyone else, was getting worried.  _Why isn't she back yet?_

_I don't know,_ was all Chara could say.

_Where's Nate? Does he know?_

Chara saw Nate walking around the seats, asking everyone if they saw Selena. No one had. He saw them, and he asked them the same question. "Hey, have you seen Selena?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Chara replied.

Nate grimaced. "What the hell? This isn't like her."

Chara was about to stupidly suggest calling her, but that was impossible. Everyone's cellphones had been collected by security before the trial. Selena had probably left her phone with them. Still, where  _was_ she? Monty couldn't have affected her  _that_ much, right?

Chara looked at the entrance, where more people were coming in. Among them was… Boaris. Though Chara didn't know the details, he had been subpoenaed as a last-minute addition to the witnesses. Apparently, Gaster had been doing more work behind the scenes.

Someone else came in. It was…

Finally, there she was.

Just in time, Selena returned to the courtroom, but she still looked a little rattled. Nate approached her. "Selena! Are you alright?"

She shakily nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm alright."

"Are you sure? If you need to, you can delay the trial. It shouldn't be a problem."

Finding her determination, Selena shook her head. "No, we're ending this today."

Chara admired her enthusiasm, but she didn't want her to do this if she wasn't ready. "Are you  _sure_?" she asked.

Clearly frustrated with herself, Selena got a little testy. "I'm fine!" she snapped. "It was just a little slip-up! It won't happen again!"

Frisk, ever the diplomat, tried to comfort her. "Hey, it's alright. We're not mad at you. We just want to make sure you're okay. If you need more time, that's alright."

"Don't worry, I've got this now."

Frisk wasn't angry, but he couldn't speak for everyone. Someone else approached Selena, looking quite peeved. Jacob scowled at Selena. "Finally, there you are. Now, what the hell's wrong with you?"

Selena whimpered. "I'm sorry, I swear it won't happen again."

Jacob wasn't moved by her apology. He spat fire with every word he spoke. "I don't know what gear is broken in your head, but I expect better from you. You're a professional. If we lose this because you can't control yourself, I  _will_ make you regret it."

Chara knew Jacob had the right to be concerned, but damn. If Frisk was the good cop, Jacob was the bad cop.

Selena frowned shamefully. "I know. Please, give me one more chance."

"We only get  _one_  chance," Jacob reminded her. "Elizabeth can't be allowed to get away with what she's done. I expect you to do everything in your power to ensure she is punished to the full extent of the law."

Selena nodded. "Yes, sir. Understood."

"Don't mess this up."

"I won't."

Jacob finally stopped harassing Selena and walked away. Nate looked at his wife, and he reached out to touch her shoulder. "Selena…"

She backed away, avoiding his touch. "Hey! How many times do I have to tell you? I'm okay! Stop worrying so much!"

Nate sighed. "Sorry, you're right. I trust you, Selena."

She looked happy to hear that. "Thanks, Nate."

Nora walked over to them, with a concerned look on her face. "Umm, hey," she whispered. "Nate, I sense something."

She had Nate's full attention. "What is it?"

"It's faint," Nora said, "but I definitely feel something. I can't pin down the exact location, but it's somewhere in this building."

Not following this in the slightest, Elodie scratched her head. "Umm, what is she talking about?"

"My murder senses are tingling," Nora whispered.

For Elodie, that only raised more questions than answers. "Uh, what?"

"Nora has a special ability," Nate explained. "As a preservation soul, she can sense nearby killing intent."

"But it's not foolproof," Nora said. "It's less effective if the killer is skilled at masking their true intentions, but it's also affected by distance. If I move quickly, I should be able to track it down."

Chara could easily see how invaluable that power would be in battle. Nora could keep track of all enemies in the area, and she would be alerted when an enemy was about to unleash a deadly strike, making it much easier to avoid. As an aspiring mage, Chara couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She sighed wistfully. She wished she could have that awesome ability.

Then again, Chara really didn't have the right to complain. Being a demon greatly accelerated her attunement with magic, head and shoulders above anyone else. In just a few weeks of training, her magic already matched years of practice for the average human. She was learning as naturally as a monster learned, but with the raw power of a human soul. If Chara didn't know any better, she would say that dying was the best thing that ever happened to her.

But, more importantly, where was this killing intent coming from? Was it a terrorist? A member of Elizabeth's cult?

Selena eyed Nora with morbid interest. "You sense killing intent? Who do you think it is?"

"Don't know," Nora said, "but I want to check it out."

"But, it could be dangerous!" Selena protested. "I don't want you to get hurt, Nora!"

Nora scoffed. "Please, you know I'll be fine. I've seen my share of combat. Besides, it could be a danger to everyone if we don't do something about it."

Nate knew Nora was strong, but even so, he wasn't going to let her walk into danger alone. "I'll go with you," he said.

Nora didn't argue. "Okay, we'll figure this out together."

Felicia couldn't help but feel worried for them. She took over. "Nate, please be careful."

Selene wished for his safety as well. "Come back to me safe, sugar."

Nate did a double take, giving Selena a strange look. "Since when do you call me 'sugar?'"

Selena huffed and indignantly held her hips. "Oh, well,  _sorry_ for trying to show my affection for you in new and exciting ways!"

Nate dived into damage control mode. "Oh, uh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I just –"

Selena waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about it. If you don't like it –"

"I didn't say that! I was just surprised, that's all!"

Selena smiled. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Now, don't you have a killer to find?"

"Yeah," Nora said. "Let's get going already."

"All rise."

Again, the bailiff called everyone to attention. The trial was about to continue.

"Don't worry about us," Nate said. "Hold the fort here while we're gone."

"We will," Frisk replied. "Good luck."

Nate and Nora quietly left the courtroom to track down the mysterious signal of killing intent. Meanwhile, Chara and the others took their seats. Judge Jessup called for the Government to continue their examinations. The whole audience was dead quiet, watching with bated breath.

Selena stood up. "The Government calls Frisk to the stand."

… Frisk? What was she calling Frisk for? This wasn't part of the plan. Frisk sat immobile in his seat, just as confused as Chara was.

Selena glared impatiently at him. "Yes, you, Frisk."

Chara had a bad feeling about this. She trusted Selena, but why was she deviating from the plan? What evidence did Frisk have?

Before Frisk stood up, Chara grabbed his hand. concerned for his safety. "I don't like this," she whispered.

"… I'll be fine," Frisk whispered back. "I promise."

Frisk slipped his hand away. Without a clue why, he walked to the stand. The bailiff swore him in, and Selena began her examination. "Frisk, are you the one who destroyed the Barrier that surrounded Mount Ebott?"

Ugh, why was she asking that? That was a complicated question. Technically, it was Asriel who broke it, but Frisk couldn't say that without revealing the horrible things Asriel had done.

"No," Frisk truthfully said. "No one knows how it broke. While I stood in front of the Barrier with Asgore, it just… happened."

"Regardless, have the monsters credited you with its destruction?"

"Uh, many have," Frisk said.

Where was Selena going with this?

Selena smiled. "Yes, you are very popular, aren't you? You are ubiquitously loved by monsterkind. They see you as a hero, calling you the 'Hero of Monsters,' a symbol of peace. When you were just thirteen years old, they already slated you to become one of their ambassadors. They all really love you, don't they?"

Chara glanced at Elizabeth. Why the hell wasn't she raising an objection for irrelevance?  _Chara_ wanted to object. What the hell was going on?

"I… I guess so?" Frisk answered.

"Yes," Selena said. "They all love you so much. It sure would be a shame if something happened to you, wouldn't it?"

Chara felt a chill run down her spine. What was she…?

Suddenly, Jacob got out of his seat. He walked to the front where Selena and Frisk were. What the hell?!

The Judge yelled at him. "Mr. Malcom, what are you doing? Return to your seat!"

Jacob ignored him. He looked at Frisk and stared at him intensely. His breaths were sharp, nervous. Frisk swallowed. "Umm, Mr. Malcom?"

Jacob reached under his jacket… and Chara's worst fears were realized. In Jacob's hand was a black pistol, aimed directly at Frisk's head.

Immediately, the room was filled with panicked screams. While the audience jumped out of their seats and crouched down for cover, Frisk's face turned paler than Chara's. He held up his shaking arms, utterly terrified.

In feigned shock, Selena cupped her cheeks with her hands and let out a fake gasp. "Oh, no!' she sarcastically exclaimed. "Mr. Malcom, how could you do such a horrible thing?"

_What the hell?!_

Judge Jessup, on the other hand, shouted in genuine outrage. "What is the meaning of this?! MP's, surround him!"

A dozen Military Police officers stormed the room, but they didn't point their weapons at Jacob. Instead, their rifles turned on the audience.

Panic immediately spread across the room. It was all so sudden. Someone tried to run, but the exit was blocked off by more terrorists. Within mere moments, the entire courtroom had been taken hostage.

No one moved. At any moment, the Military Police could open fire and mow them down. What was supposed to be a civilized legal procedure had turned into a barbaric act of terrorism.

Bewildered by the Military Police's behavior, the judge was the first to speak, though he barely managed to get words out. "Wh-what…? What is…?"

Elizabeth stood out of her seat and casually walked past the rouge officers. "My apologies, Your Honor, but we're taking over."

Wait, Jacob was working with Elizabeth? He was helping her…? Chara actually thought Jacob was being honest when he condemned Elizabeth. Was that a lie?! Was this his plan all along?!

And what the  _hell_ was Selena doing?! Chara trusted her!

Felicia was in total disbelief, refusing to accept what Chara's eyes were showing her. Her voice quivered.  _J-Jacob… no…_

"I don't understand," Jessup breathed, looking among the rouge Military Police officers. "Why are you…?"

The Military Police's commander, General Jaeger, walked to the center of the room where the Judge sat. He pointed the barrel of a shotgun at him. "Move."

Judge Jessup was a good man, but the military-grade shotgun pointed at his face was very persuasive. Keeping his hands up, he slowly walked out of the Judge's chair and stood with the other hostages in the audience section.

While Jaeger was dealing with the Judge, Jacob dragged Frisk out of the witness stand and seized him by the neck, shoving the barrel of his pistol into Frisk's temple. With a mere flex of his finger, Jacob could end Frisk's life in an instant. The thought of it made Chara's stomach churn.

"No hero shit!" Jacob cried.

Wait, why didn't Frisk just reset? Chara called out to him. "Frisk, reset!"

Frisk struggled to speak in Jacob's chokehold. "I… can't…"

**LOAD FAILED**

Frisk… couldn't reset? Then, they had a melter? Chara glanced at Monty. It wasn't him. Who was it? Who was strong enough to overpower him?

Chara looked at Selena. She still couldn't believe she had turned on them. She was Nate's wife, wasn't she? Nate should have been a good enough judge of character to know his own wife wouldn't side with terrorists.

Enraged, Chara cried out to her. "What are you doing?! Perhaps I should have expected this from Jacob, but you?"

Selena laughed. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I can't keep this up."

'Selena' snapped her finger, and her body seemed to… crack. The cracks glowed with a bright light, and then the illusion shattered, revealing a completely different person. Where there was once a lawyer in a suit was now a soldier in uniform. Chara's eyes widened.

"Agent Campbell?!"

With a wicked gleam in his green eyes, Campbell laughed again. "Ah, that's better! Acting is so hard!"

Chara clenched her teeth. "A doppelganger spell? Are you kidding me?!"

"That was a close one, though. If Nate had touched me, the illusion would have broken instantly. Good thing I'm such a quick thinker!"

Wait, if Campbell was impersonating Selena, then where was the real Selena?

… oh…  _oh!_

Of course… Selena was the melter. Someone got the drop on her, and they forcibly injected her with DT. Shit, shit! If they killed Frisk now, he would actually die.

Felicia growled.  _Damn it, I thought he was cool!_

"Well, I'll be off now," Campbell said. "I've gotta go kill my old boss. Should be fun. See you later, Mr. President!"

Campbell strolled past his fellow Military Police terrorists, leaving the courtroom to hunt down Nate and Nora. Meanwhile, Jacob kept his gun pressed against Frisk's head, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

That couldn't happen. Chara had to save him! Her eyes darted around the room, frantically trying to find a solution. Jacob had his gun pressed firmly against Frisk. If she made a move, Jacob wouldn't hesitate to blow Frisk's brains out. Even if she managed to take out Jacob safely, there were still over a dozen Military Police officers who would take the shot.

Chara's eyes locked with Frisk's, and her heart sank to the abyss. His whole body was trembling. He had always been Chara's hero, but he was no martyr. He wanted to live. In his terrified eyes, Chara could see him silently pleading for help.

_Damn it!_

Chara's heart pounded. She saw no opening. They had Frisk at their mercy. God damn it! Why did she let him go? She was so stupid. Screw Elizabeth. Screw the trial. Revenge wasn't worth Frisk's life. They should have just run away when they had the chance!

While Chara began to fall into despair, Felicia gathered enough courage – and rage – to shout at her brother. "Jacob, what the fuck?! You're  _helping_ Elizabeth?!"

Jacob kept his gun on Frisk as he looked at his sister. "Felicia, I'm doing this for you. This is the only way."

Felicia couldn't comprehend what she was hearing. "What?! Jacob, let Frisk go, right now!"

As if he could simply 'let him go' at this point. Jacob keep an iron grip around Frisk's neck. "Felicia, I know you don't agree with us, but the monsters have to go back Underground. This is the only way you can live."

Felicia grinded her teeth. If there was one word to describe her expression, it was  _heartbreak_. "How could you do this to me? In what twisted world is this something I'd want? If you pull that trigger, I'll never forgive you!"

Jacob couldn't hide the pain he felt over Felicia's words, but he didn't relent. "I don't expect you to understand. I don't care if you hate me for this. I just want you to be safe."

Felicia flicked her eyes to Elizabeth, staring daggers into her. "But, how could you side with  _her_?"

From Jacob's crushing grip, Frisk spoke up. "J-Jacob, don't –"

"Shut up!"

_CRACK!_

He… he shot him.

He fucking shot him.

Chara and Frisk both screamed. With an ear-shattering crack, Jacob had shot a bullet through Frisk's leg. Blood trickled down the wound as Frisk panted from the sharp, blossoming pain.

"You're  _not_ talking your way out of this one!" Jacob spat.

Beneath her fear, a burning fire surged through Chara's body. He dared spill Frisk's blood? He was  _dead_.  _He was dead!_

Chara screamed at the top of her lungs. " _I'll kill you for that!_ "

Jacob wasn't fazed by Chara's threats. Pressing his gun back into Frisk's head, his attention shifted to the audience. "King Asgore, if you want Frisk to live, step forward."

Father?

At Jacob's demand, King Asgore Dreemurr emerged from the crowd. He walked in front of the Military Police officers, with a look of grim determination on his face.

He spoke. "President Malcom, we have settled our differences amicably this far. Why the sudden act of aggression? We mean you no harm."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Can you really speak for every monster on Earth, your majesty?"

Asgore couldn't formulate a response. What Jacob said was true, after all. Every monster was a separate, unique individual. He couldn't speak for all of them. No one could.

"Tell us what you want," Asgore said. "Please, just let Frisk live."

"You know what we want," Jacob answered. "Order every last one of your people to return Underground, and we'll let Frisk go. Once you've returned to Mount Ebott, the Barrier will be restored, and if you break it again, it's war. Refuse, and Frisk will be the first of many to die."

So, this was what it all came down to. Go back Underground, or fight, but Chara knew what Jacob's true intentions were. If they accepted his offer, every monster on Earth would be killed. It wasn't a choice.

… but, if they refused, Frisk would die, along with many others. Flowey, Asgore, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne… the room would be filled with the blood and dust of everyone Chara loved.

Trapped in indecision, Asgore lowered his head. Jacob pressed him. "Well? What will it be, Asgore? Will you let Frisk die, or will you quietly go home?"

Chara felt like Felicia's soul was going to burst of her chest. She tried to weigh their options. Even if they returned Underground, would Jacob keep his word and let Frisk live? Absolutely not. There was no way he would risk Frisk getting his power back and resetting. He was going to kill Frisk either way. Surrendering would only stall his inevitable execution.

From the crowd, Toriel's voice called out. "Asgore, just do as he says! We cannot allow him to kill Frisk!"

Asgore sorrowfully looked back at her. If he refused Jacob's demands, she would be one of the first targets after Frisk; her death was practically guaranteed.

"I-I agree!" Alphys stammered. "We can't f-fight them! L-let's go back home!"

No, going back to the mountain wasn't an option. That was the only way Jacob could possibly win. No matter what happened, they couldn't give him that opening.

Fortunately, other monsters were not so eager to surrender. Undyne shouted at Jacob in rage. "Hey, President Asshole, let  _me_ make  _you_ an offer! How about you let Frisk go, and I don't gut you like a fish? How does that sound?!"

"You're a devious one, aren't you?" Mettaton said. "Holding everyone's second favorite star hostage, but in my own, humble opinion, we really can't accept your deal. Besides, I think we both know that you cannot win, so why not just unhand Frisk before we get mad, villain?"

Papyrus tried to step forward, probably to politely ask Jacob to let Frisk go.

Sans restrained him.

"Come on, guys," Flowey said. "I know Frisk is great and all, but let's be honest, he's not worth everyone else. Let's not trade all our lives for one person."

W-well, he wasn't exactly wrong, but… Chara didn't want Frisk to die. She loved him; she wasn't ready to let him go.

Ha, what a useless lover she was. She swore she would protect him, but she couldn't do a damn thing.

"I want to settle this with as little bloodshed as possible," Jacob lied. "Surrender now, and your lives will be spared."

Still in pain from his bullet wound, Frisk risked speaking again. "Don't listen to him!" he shouted. "If you do what he says, he'll kill all of you! P-please, don't worry about me…"

Frisk's expression betrayed his words. Tears streaked down his cheek. He wanted to live, but he knew Flowey was right. He knew he wasn't worth everyone else…

He knew had no choice but to die for them.

… but, he promised! He promised he would live!

"I'm losing my patience," Jacob warned. "Make your decision, Asgore. Your people's lives depend on it."

Asgore furrowed his brow, agonizing over his choice. "I…"

"I'm afraid that is entirely out of the question."

That wasn't Asgore. Dr. W.D. Gaster floated to the center of the room and faced Jacob. Gaster smiled. "Hello again, Mr. President."

"What do you want?" Jacob hissed.

"I must say, I don't believe you are being entirely honest with this proposition of yours."

Jacob did his best to maintain the ruse. He spoke with conviction, as if he meant every word he said. "What are you talking about? If you surrender, no one will die. You have my word."

"Hmm… your word means nothing, then. Dishonesty, an unfortunately common trait in world leaders."

Even though Gaster was right, Jacob was infuriated. "Don't insult my honor, creature!"

"Of course, I would not make such an accusation without evidence. Rest assured, I have plenty."

While this exchange was going on, Asgore stared wide-eyed at Gaster. "Who are you?"

Gaster turned to face him and bowed. "Ah, forgive me. I forgot that you forgot. My name is Dr. Gaster, your former Royal Scientist."

Asgore gasped. "You… you're the one Chara told me about?"

"Ah, my reputation precedes me. That makes things easier."

"Enough of this!" Jacob barked. "Surrender now, or Frisk  _will_ –"

Gaster raised a holed hand to interrupt. "Please, let me finish. I think everyone would be very interested to hear something you said earlier."

From extra-dimensional space, Gaster summoned a ghost phone and held it in his punctured hand, presenting it to the entire room. "Everyone, listen closely to this recording. I find it very, very interesting."

He played it. Chara's voice – spoken by Felicia – was projected across the room. "Jacob, I know I told you to think for yourself, but what you're trying to do is wrong. You can't just kill them. They don't deserve it."

Jacob's voice replied. "… you're right. They don't deserve it… but that doesn't change the facts. They are too dangerous to exist. We must kill them all."

A chorus of gaps rang out at those last words. There was no mistaking it. The President himself had admitted to attempted genocide. At last, his true nature had been exposed.

While Jacob's jaw dropped in shock, Gaster smiled triumphantly. "Did everyone catch that? Can everyone in the back hear okay? Here, let me replay it for you."

Jacob's voice spoke clearly from the speaker. "We must kill them all."

"Did I hear that correctly?" Gaster asked. "Let's triple check."

"We must kill them all."

"One more time."

"Kill them all. Kill them all. Kill them all."

"Hey, Sans," Gaster said. "What does it sound like the President is trying to say?"

"I think he wants to kill all the monsters," Sans said.

"I think so, too." He looked at the President. "Well, that contradicts what you're saying now, doesn't it? Based on that evidence, I can't help but conclude that your offer to let the monsters live peacefully Underground is significantly less than honest."

Jacob's arm tightened around Frisk's neck. "You bastard…"

Chara was amazed. While paying the President his little visit, Gaster had bugged his office. Thanks to him, the truth was out. He was done for. Chara was about to pump her fist… until she remembered that Frisk still had a gun to his head.

Gaster wasn't finished. "Ah, but don't take his word for it. There's someone else in this room with a  _fascinating_ story to tell. Boaris, I think it's time."

Everyone's gaze fell upon Boaris, who nodded and solemnly addressed the room. "I know that none of you are happy to see me. Many of you have questioned the motive behind my actions, and today, I am prepared to answer. I did not take Mr. Malcom's soul by force. The attack was orchestrated by the President himself, as part of his plan to fan the flames of war between humans and monsters."

The crowd was shocked yet again. According to Boaris himself, the popular conspiracy theory was true after all.

This revelation earned a dumbfounded Jacob many dubious stares from the Military Police officers under his command.

"What the hell? I only agreed to this because I thought that crazy boar killed us all for kicks."

"How could the President let that happen?"

Once the shock had worn off, Jacob scrambled to defend himself. "He's lying! Boaris caught me off guard and took my soul. I can't believe I was weak enough to be killed by a monster, but it's the truth! It was all his doing!"

It was all Chara could do not to attack right there. She wanted so badly to thrust a knife into Jacob's lying face. The gun to Frisk's head was the only thing holding her back.

Felicia had fallen into complete despair.  _He really has become Mother's son…_

As some of the soldiers threatened to fall out of line, General Jaeger forced them back with a disciplined glare. "What does it matter? Even if the President was involved, Boaris still attacked us of his own free will. Nothing will change that fact."

"The General's right!" one soldier cried. "If Boaris was what it took to open our eyes, then so be it! Nothing's changed!"

"I wanted the monsters dead as soon as they showed up."

While the Military Police argued amongst themselves, Asgore looked at Boaris in disbelief. "Why, Boaris? Why would you do such a thing? You still wish for war against the humans?"

"No," Boaris said. "I acted to  _prevent_ war. I believed the only way to do so was to return Underground, but I was wrong. Even if we go back, the humans will kill us anyway. I was a fool not to realize this sooner."

"Indeed," Gaster said. "Why trap monsterkind Underground, when it's only a matter of time until they break free? If it were possible to create a two-way Barrier, then perhaps it'd work, but the Barrier can only keep monsters inside. It cannot prevent humans from entering. Really, it is quite the design flaw. Because of this, the Barrier doesn't make the world any safer at all."

Gaster floated higher up in the room. "On the contrary, trapping monsterkind Underground is actually the most dangerous thing you can do. You see, you have to remember that monsters are not the only threat to the universe. In the human world, when a demon attempts to obtain absolute power, they tend to have a difficult time. Demons are powerful, but humans are resourceful. With their strength and numbers, they usually – but not always – defeat the demon before it reaches full power.

"With monsters trapped Underground, however, this gives the demon a  _much_  easier target. Both weaker and less numerous, monsters have a much harder time putting up a resistance when a demon attacks them. Only a very small handful are able to fight back; the rest are little more than free EXP to fuel the demon's rise to godlike power. Once a demon kills enough, it can end the universe as easily as snapping one's finger, and since most of them remain soulless, I can attest that demons have razed far more worlds than monsters have."

Everyone who listened was chilled to their core, wondering who Gaster was and how he knew all this.

"What's your point?!" Jacob demanded.

"My point," Gaster said, "is that even if you  _wanted_ us to go back Underground, and not kill us, it wouldn't be acceptable. Ironically, separating humans and monsters is even more dangerous than integrating them. That is why we cannot accept your terms. We must stay where we are."

Even though they didn't remember him, Gaster's words sunk deep into the monsters. As they murmured their agreement, Jacob's rage grew even stronger. His face grew red, like a spoiled child who wasn't getting what he wanted.

"Why should we believe you?!" Jacob shouted. "You claim to be a famous scientist, but hardly anyone knows who you are! You know what I think? Your entire story is made up. These demons are nothing more than your scapegoats! You're using them in a desperate attempt to pass off the blame on humans, and cover up everything you've done! You're disgusting!"

Oh, so now demons were innocent scapegoats? After all the times he venomously spat the word, demons were suddenly the victims? Because it was convenient for him? Fuck him.

"I literally showed you," Gaster reminded him, "but that's alright. I don't need to convince you."

"What?!"

Gaster smiled again. "I don't need to convince any of you." He turned back to face his fellow monsters. "I just need to convince them."

Jacob didn't understand. "What are you saying?"

"Do you believe me, Asgore?" Gaster asked. "I know it is difficult to trust the word of a stranger. I truly wish I still had my credibility, but if you give me some time, I could prepare all the detailed evidence you wish."

Asgore raised his hand. "For now, that won't be necessary. While I may not remember you, I trust my children. Chara and Asriel have both vouched for you. I admit I was skeptical at first, but now that I've seen you with my own eyes, I have no reason to doubt them."

Gaster bowed. "You are truly gracious, my King."

Asgore turned to address his people. "Does anyone doubt the word of Dr. W.D. Gaster?"

No one objected.

Gaster fixed his eye sockets back on Jacob. "As long as we stay on the surface, you cannot win. If you try to fight us, there's plenty of humans who will come to our aid. Some human  _will_  give some monster their soul, and then it will be over. The only way you could possibly win is to separate us from human society, but now that we know your true intentions, that will never happen. You're out of options, Malcom.

"You've lost."

Jacob looked straight down towards the ground, his eyes closed. "Asgore, you still haven't answered."

After hearing everything Gaster had said, there was only one answer.

"… I'm afraid we cannot surrender," Asgore said. "No matter what threats you give us, we will not willingly walk to our graves."

And so, Asgore gave his answer. The monsters' eyes lit up, filled with hope that their king had made the right decision. They weren't going anywhere.

Frisk sobbed with a pained smile on his face. He cried partly because he was proud of them, but also because he knew his death was approaching. Once again, his eyes met with Chara's. He wanted to tell her something, but to do so would be to resign to his fate.

_That's right. Don't say it, Frisk. Tell me after we get through this._

A tense silence filled the room. Jacob stood silently, his mouth agape. As Gaster had thoroughly laid out for him, there was no way he could win another war with monsterkind. If he couldn't scare the monsters back Underground, he had lost. It had been a long time coming, but Gaster had finally called checkmate.

The Military Police officers nervously stood their ground, waiting for orders.

"… please," Asgore whispered. "Let Frisk go. There's no point in killing him."

Jacob began to waver, and his grip on Frisk loosened, but before hope could return to Frisk's eyes, Elizabeth walked over to where they stood. She stared Frisk down, and then she pried him from Jacob's arms.

"Very well," Elizabeth said. "If that is your choice…"

For just a moment, Chara saw a glint of light reflect off a piece of metal. As soon as she realized what it was, the knife slid across Frisk's throat.

Chara's heart froze solid.

No… this… this wasn't happening…

Frisk clutched his bleeding throat as he fell to the ground. His face was the portrait of pain and sorrow as his blood spilled out, making a red puddle on the floor.

Even in this fatal state, Frisk clung to his determination. With all his willpower, he tried to lift himself off the ground, but his dying body wouldn't listen. All he could manage was to look up, revealing his dark red eyes, wet with tears. His gaze shifted between all his friends, and then he collapsed, his dead eyes rested lifelessly on Chara.

This… this wasn't…

Frisk's soul floated above his body. Elizabeth took Jacob's pistol, and she shot a bullet into it. It shattered, scattering red shards all around room. A few were caught on Chara's shirt. She picked one. It sparkled in her hand, before fading away into nothingness.

**FILE ERASED**

… Frisk was dead.


	46. Trust Me

Nate stood with Nora in the courthouse's modest security office. In front of him was the service desk, which was clear expect for a phone and a humming fan. To his left was a screen showing camera feeds to various rooms, such as the main court chamber. In the back of the room was the storage closet, where a security officer was rummaging through a full rack of boxes filled with personal items confiscated for the trial.

They were here to get their stuff back. They were tracking down a potential killer, so their first move was to arm themselves. They may have been discharged from the Military Police, but Nate still had his family's revolver, and Nora still had her obsessive collection of swords. In case there was trouble, they needed their weapons.

Nora impatiently tapped her finger on the service desk. "Ugh, can you pick up the pace a bit?"

"Please be patient, ma'am. There's a lot of boxes to sort through."

Of course, they didn't say they were hunting down a suspect. They simply told the officer that they were leaving. As long as they didn't go back inside the court chamber, they would be fine.

Nate glanced at the security monitor, looking at the main court chamber feed. For some reason, Frisk was on the stand, being questioned by Selena. There was no audio, so Nate had no idea what it was about.

As they waited, Nora's shoulders tensed. "Nate," she whispered, "it just got worse."

Nate whispered back. "How bad?"

According to Nora, the killing intent they were tracking wasn't very strong. It was only just enough for Nora to pick up. She hypothesized that the subject wasn't a killer at heart, and only wanted to kill out of self-defense. Of course, that begged the question, what were they defending themselves from?

Suddenly, Nora darted her head towards the security monitor. It didn't take Nate long to see what had startled her. On the camera feed for the main court chamber, Nate saw Jacob holding a gun to Frisk's head.

"What?!"

As if that weren't bad enough, dozens of rouge Military Police officers had turned their guns on the audience, and Selena was standing right beside Jacob,  _pretending_ to be shocked. She held her cheeks and gasped in a blatantly insincere, mocking way, as if to taunt them for daring to trust her.

Nate refused to believe this. "Selena…? No, you would  _never_ do this."

"Y-yeah," Nora breathed. "That can't be her."

Now that Nate thought about it, this explained a lot. It had someone using the Doppelganger spell. Doppelganger, as the name implied, allowed the caster to temporality assume the appearance of another person. That was why 'Selena' avoided Nate's touch earlier. It would have broken the spell… Damn it, he  _knew_ something was off! All he had to do was touch her! Why was he such an  _idiot_?

Nate grimaced. "This is my fault. How could I let them fool me?"

"They fooled us  _all_ , Nate," Nora reminded him.

Who was it? Who had tricked him?

Soon enough, Nate got his answer. The doppelganger cancelled their spell, revealing their true identity… Agent Neil Campbell.

Nate shouted in disbelief. "Campbell?!"

"Wasn't he one of yours?" Nora asked.

Nate lowered his head. Granted, he hadn't known him verylong. Their relationship only went as far back as their assignment to spy on Frisk. Still, Nate had no idea Campbell would do such a thing. He always saw him as a good man. His warm smile and charismatic charm had always kept his unit together. Although he was generally laid back, he always seemed concerned for everyone's safety. He never once showed a hint of malice or apathy towards others, and he never once gave Nate any reason to distrust him.

That's why he was such a good spy.

Nora stared at him with a concerned look on her face. "Nate…"

"I'll kill him," Nate growled.

Perhaps a normal person would have tried to ease Nate's bloodlust, but that wasn't who Nora was. Instead of calming him down, she simply nodded and agreed. "Yeah, we will."

Nate lifted his head back up and looked at the security officer, who was still fiddling with the boxes in the closet. "Hey! We need our stuff  _now_! It's an emergency!"

The officer stopped what he was doing and looked at the surveillance feed, where Jacob had seized Frisk by the neck and pressed his gun into his head. The officer looked disturbingly unfazed. "Ah, jeez. That's trouble."

A frigid chill ran through the air.

"Nate," Nora whispered, "how do you think Jacob got that gun through security?"

The security officer slowly turned his head towards them. "You two aren't planning to go in there, are you?"

Nate stared intensely at the security officer. "Tell you what. Just give us our stuff, and we'll forget we saw each other."

The officer shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Protocol is clear on how to handle this situation. You must remain right here on lockdown until the proper authorities take care of things."

Nora gave him a death glare with her purple eyes. "Tell you what. Give us our stuff, and we don't kill you."

The officer sighed. "Threats, huh? Well, then…"

"Nate, watch out!"

In the blink of an eye, the officer grabbed a pistol hidden under the desk and shot it directly at Nate's head, but Nora was faster. She dived in front of Nate and absorbed the bullet with a magic barrier. Her weapons may have been confiscated, but there wasn't anything they could do about magic.

The officer clenched his teeth. "Damn you!" He fired more shots, but it was futile. Nora effortlessly absorbed them all with a wall of light.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Down to his last shot, the officer stopped firing, and Nora retaliated. She swung her arm down, like she was ripping the officer apart with razor-sharp claws. Four streaks of fire ignited on the officer's chest. He screamed, and Nora jabbed her arm upward. The nameless security officer's entire body burst into flame. He collapsed to the ground and died instantly. His soul cracked and scattered light blue shards all around the room.

"Ah,  _yes_ ," Nora purred sensually. "Thanks for the EXP."

It was Nate's turn to be concerned. "Nora, I know it was kill or be killed, but…"

Nora shrugged. "Eh, he wasn't worth that much, actually. Just a measly three points. I guess nobody loved him."

"Nora, I love you, but sometimes you scare me."

"I'm not like Frisk," Nora said. "When someone tries to kill my friends, I kill them. You're welcome, by the way."

As much as Nora needed it, they didn't have time to chat. Nate ran over the security officer's charred corpse and searched through the closet.

Looking through the alphabetized boxes, he quickly found the ones labeled 'Miller.' He grabbed his box and tossed Nora hers. Inside was their cellphones, which could access their dimensional storage. Nate quickly scrolled through his inventory and materialized his revolver and ammo from extra-dimensional space. Meanwhile, Nora selected a katana from her inventory and equipped it.

They were ready for battle.

With their weapons retrieved, Nate tried to determine their strategy. There was an entire courtroom being held hostage, including Frisk, so they couldn't just charge in. And why wasn't Frisk resetting? The only explanation was that he couldn't. Most likely, the enemy had a melter, like the last time Frisk was kidnapped. If they killed the melter, Frisk could reset.

Also, where was Selena…?

… oh, God…

Nora looked at him, her expression dead serious. "Nate, listen to me. Obviously, I'm sensing a  _lot_ of killing intent coming from the courtroom, but the weak signal I originally detected is still there, somewhere else in the building.'

Nate didn't need her to tell him the rest. "It's Selena, isn't it?"

Nora nodded. "They must have turned her into a melter." She started at him with a grim expression in her purple eyes. "Nate, we have to kill her."

Kill Selena? Just the thought of it gave Nate the urge to vomit. Nate closed his eyes. He couldn't do that. How could he ever hurt Selena?

Nora clicked her tongue. "Oh, don't be a baby. She won't  _actually_ die. Frisk will reset, and it'll be like none of this ever happened."

Nate knew that, but still…

Nora held his shoulders. "Nate, we have to do this. I'll do it if I can, but one of us has to kill her."

Nate hated himself for it, but he felt a lot better knowing that Nora was willing to do the dirty work for him. He took a deep breath, and he nodded. "Okay, okay…"

"Everything will be alright," Nora promised. "I'll make sure of it."

Nate knew he was lucky to have such a badass sister. They left the security office and started moving, tracking the signal that would hopefully lead to Selena.

He followed Nora through the courthouse's halls, running at a brisk pace. They had to hurry. If Frisk died before Selena, his save file would be erased. Nate didn't know who the World Master before Frisk was, but even assuming they were willing to help, they would have to reset all the way back to their last save, before the Barrier was broken.

Even ignoring the ethical issues of resetting that far back to save just a few people, that probably wasn't the greatest plan. There was no telling what Jacob and Elizabeth would do if they went all the way back there. The ideal scenario was to defeat them  _now_.

Nora stopped near a door to a conference room. She shimmed against the wall, and Nate stood behind her, forming a two-person stack.

"Picking up two now," Nora whispered. "Most likely Selena, and whoever's guarding her."

Nate nodded, and Nora prepared to breach the door. She lifted her knee and…

"Hey, Nate! How's it hanging?"

Nate spun around, held his gun up, and, without hesitation, shot a bullet at Campbell's head. The bullet phased right though, hitting the wall behind him. Campbell's body merely flickered, another illusion spell.

Through his false projection, Campbell mocked him with a smile. "Hey, now. Is that how you treat a friend? I thought we were pals, Nate."

He swiveled his head around, looking for the real Campbell. "Show yourself, coward!"

"I can't sense him," Nora warned. "He's good."

Nate turned his attention back to the door. "We don't have time for this! Nora, kick it open."

"Right awa –"

Before Nora could finish, the door flew open from the other side, and Agent Clark jumped out. She was wearing heavy modern plate armor, infused with magic for superior protection. She was armed with a longsword in her right hand, and in her left hand was a large, rectangular barrier shield. It glowed with a soft blue light, and it was big enough to cover her entire body. She held it in front of her and assumed a defensive stance. "You're not getting through!"

Agent Clark, too? Nate couldn't hide his shock. He started at Clark with a dumbfounded expression. That was two of his fellow soldiers who had betrayed him. Neil Campbell, and Rosalene Clark. As their commanding officer, he would have risked his life for them, and now they were trying to kill him.

Through his hologram, Campbell laughed derisively. "Aww, don't feel  _too_  bad, Nate. There's no way you could have possibly seen this coming. It's not like we ever 'accidentally' poisoned you and  _laughed it off_. Kill'em with kindness; that's what I say."

Nate glared at Campbell's hologram. "We just want Selena. Let her go, and you  _may_ live."

Campbell mockingly held up his finger. "Now, now. Don't go wishing for the moon. You know we can't just give you Selena. After all, you're trying to  _kill_ her, aren't you? You want to kill your own wife, and we have to protect her from you. Really, we're the heroes here."

"How can you kidnap someone and call yourself a hero?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's for a good cause. Someone's gotta do something about those monsters. I mean, really. They're all criminals. Some regions outlaw the possession of  _guns_. If something as trivial as a gunis too dangerous to carry around, then why are we letting thousands of monsters run around with doomsday devices just waiting to be powered by human batteries? The way I see it, the monsters' very existence is a crime, and our job is to uphold –"

Nate cut him off with a swipe of his arm. "You know what? I really don't care about humans and monsters right now. I just want Selena."

Nora gripped the hilt of her katana. "I can't say I disagree with you, but I can't forgive what you've done to my sister."

Campbell sighed. "And personal feelings once again overcome rational thought. It's gonna be the death of us all." His lips curved up in an ear-to-ear smile. "Well, let's get on with it."

From both sides of the hall, Nate heard footsteps. Lots of them. He jumped and turned to face the source. Was it an ambush?

Not quite, it was more holograms of Campbell. Dozens of them. They walked in from both sides and flanked them. They weren't real, but each of them appeared to be brandishing a knife. That was Campbell's plan? Hide himself in a crowd of fakes? What a coward.

Nate and Nora stood back-to-back. He held up his revolver at the Campbell mob, while Nora pointed her sword at Clark.

"Nate, I still can't sense Campbell," Nora whispered. "I don't know which one is real."

If she couldn't detect him, that meant Campbell wasn't trying to kill them… yet.

Nora pulled back her sword, preparing to strike. "Let's go!"

Her sword held firmly upright in her hands, Nora charged forward and swung down at Clark, who raised her shield to meet the strike. Nora's blade clanged off the shield, but she didn't relent. She rapidly sliced away at it, hoping to crumble its defenses.

At the same time, Nate fired a burst of shots at Clark from his revolver, but her defense was strong. Three bullets were disintegrated by Clark's shield. Nora started to cast a fireball, and Nate was about to fire another shot…

Nate felt someone right next to him. He turned his head left, and was greeted with sinister green eyes and a horrible grin. Campbell was right next to him, with a knife pointed at his stomach. The sight was enough to make even a trained solider like him panic. He instinctively fired his remaining two shots at him, only for the bullets to phase right though. The hologram thrust its illusory knife at him, phasing harmlessly though his body, and then it disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

While Nate recovered from the shock and began to reload, Nora called out to him. "Nate, move!'

Nate was so distracted by Campbell that he hadn't noticed the tip of Clark's sword pointed right at him, glowing with magic. He tried to dodge, but he was too late. A blast of burning hot magic pierced through his body, creating an open wound on his chest accompanied by the sensation of burning. It was on par with a real bullet wound. Nate groaned in pain and clutched his chest, soaking his hand red with his blood.

"Nate!" Nora ran to his side and projected a barrier between them and Clark. She cast a healing spell, closing Nate's wound. Being healed so hastily, it felt like it could burst back open at any moment, but the bleeding had stopped.

"Ignore Campbell," Nora ordered. "I won't let the real one hurt you. I swear it."

That was easier said than done. Campbell's spell looked so  _real_. They looked perfectly realistic, and they even made sound. It was impossible to tell them apart from a real person without touching them.

His heart racing, Nate timidly croaked. "But, you said you can't…"

Nora moved back into a fighting stance, brandishing her blade and facing Clark. "Trust me!"

Trust her… of course, why was he so afraid? Nora was protecting him; he couldn't doubt her. Right now, he had to trust her with his life.

Nora ran forward and continued hacking away at Clark's shield. Clark skillfully blocked every strike, but the magical energy in her shield started to flicker.

"You can't keep blocking forever!" Nora cried.

Nate reloaded his revolver and supported Nora with covering fire. Clark was able to block some of his shots, but not all. Two shots connected, but they were mostly absorbed by her heavy armor. Clark's armor granted her extremely high boost to her defense stat, but it came with a massive penalty to her speed stat. Not that it mattered much in this situation; she couldn't move far since she was blocking the door. The heavy armor was perfectly suited for holding her ground.

Meanwhile, another Campbell jumped in front of him and thrust a knife down at his neck, only to disappear in smoke. It took all of Nate's willpower not to react. So far, all of the Campbells had been fakes, but how long would that last? How long would it be until the real Campbell plunged a knife into his back? The thought racked Nate's nerves. He didn't want to be killed by that cowardly snake.

But, Nora promised she wouldn't let that happen. He had to believe her. When the real one attacked, Nora would save him. He was sure of it.

Nate reloaded his revolver, and one of the Campbells spoke. "Hey, Nate. Why do you use such an impractical weapon? Sure, every shot packs a punch, but you only get six, and then it's a long reload."

_Says the guy with the knife,_ Nate thought.

Even Clark grunted irritably. "Shut up and fight, Neil."

"It's called psychological warfare, thank you!"

Nate finished reloading and took aim at Clark. Just before he fired, yet another Campbell sprung up from the ground right in front of his face. He was trying to ignore them, but this made it easier for them to sneak up and startle him. This Campbell proceeded to send its knife plunging right into Nate's eye. Thankfully, it was just another fake, but it still made Nate's heart pound through his chest.

This was getting annoying. Nate shouted angrily at the holograms. "Stop jumpscaring me, damn it!"

In battle, a split-second could make the difference between life and death, and Clark knew this. She took advantage of Nate's panic and fired more magic bullets at him. Three blasts of magical energy raced towards him, but this time, Nate reacted quickly enough. He sidestepped each one, and the blasts exploded violently on the wall behind him. He wasn't going to let Campbell beat him that way.

Nora and Nate continued their assault on Clark. Her shield was getting weaker; the shield's blue light was flickering more wildly with every hit. As Nate fired away at Clark, Campbell kept trying to distract him with various sounds. He stomped on the ground next to him, he whispered behind him, and he continued to send his holograms charging at him, stabbing him with their fake knives.

At this point, it was getting easier to ignore, but that only made him more dangerous. Campbell was softening him up, lowering his guard for the real him to sneak in and go for the kill, but Nora had promised to protect him. He had to keep his attention focused on Clark.

As Clark's shield began to fail, Nora grew tired. Swinging away constantly at that shield was taking a toll on her. Clark seized her chance. She bashed her shield against Nora's body, knocking her off balance, and she thrust her sword into Nora's chest, just missing her heart.

Damn it! Nate bellowed a fierce battle cry and fired all six of his shots at Clark, forcing her to pull out her sword, red with Nora's blood. While she turned to block Nate's shots, Nora healed herself with magic.

Suddenly, Nora called out to him. "Nate, behind you! The one on the right!"

The moment Nate turned, three Campbells were right behind him, all aiming an overhead stab at his neck.

Thanks to Nora, he reacted just in time. Nate dropped his empty revolver and faced the Campbell on the right, the  _real_ Campbell. He thrust his forearm against his, stopping the knife in its tracks. He then seized Campbell's arm with both hands and applied pressure until it snapped, dislocating it.

At the gratifying sound of snapping bone, all of Campbell's holograms went up in smoke. He cried out in pain, and Nate pried the knife out of his hand.

While he did this, Nora took one final swung at Clark's shield, shattering its magic. Clark tossed it aside and attacked Nora in full force. She swung her blade, only to be parried by Nora's katana. Nora pulled her blade back and twisted it, before thrusting it into Clark's chest, right through her heart.

Clark coughed blood, taking her last breaths. "F-for… humanity…"

Nora pulled out her sword, and Clark collapsed to the ground. Her blue soul shattered. Nora raised her sword and swiped it downward, splattering Clark's blood all over the wall before she turned to face Campbell. "One left."

Now, it was Campbell's turn to be afraid. His green eyes widened in terror, and he backed away, slumping against the wall behind him. "W-wait! Please don't kill me! You don't understand! It was Elizabeth! Elizabeth  _made_  me do it! She's the one to blame for all of this! This is all  _her_  fau –"

Nora's sword pierced Campbell's green soul. Like his partner before him, Campbell coughed up blood, and he laughed one final time. "Ha… worth a shot…"

Green shards scattered across the room. Nora wiped the blood off her blade and sheathed it. Campbell and Clark were dead.

Nate wasn't going to fault Nora for this one.

Nora turned to the now unguarded door, where Selena was. "Let's hurry."

"Yeah."

Nate retrieved his revolver. Leaving behind his former squamates, he ran to the door, and he pushed it open.

He looked inside. The room was an ordinary conference room, with a long table in the middle. There were signs of a struggle. Some of the chairs were knocked over, and the floor was littered with strange tan puddles, a melter's residue.

There was also a PDA – probably Campbell's – on the table, playing some ancient pop song from the 20th century, with a somber tune and vocalist.

_Why do the birds go on singing?_

_Why do the stars glow above?_

_Don't they know it's the end of the world?_

_It ended when I lost your love_

Tucked away in a corner of the room, Nate found what he was looking for. Selena. Her flesh was melting away, and she had the hollow black orbits of a demon, leaking black liquid from her eyes and mouth.

It broke Nate's heart to see her like this. Although, he was aware that she was a demon. Shortly after Chara had surfaced, she had worked up the courage to tell him. He was the one of the few people she had ever told, even their kids weren't aware.

Nora wasn't among the select few who knew. She gasped in shock when she saw her. "Holy… she's a…?"

Selena looked up, and she saw them. She looked hurt, tired, beaten, but relieved to see them. She spoke with a weak, pained voice. "N-Nate…"

Nate knelt down and held his wife's shoulder. "It's okay now. I'm here."

Through her hollow eyes, Selena looked at him with a grave expression. "Nate, you have to kill me."

Nora had promised to do this for him, but now that he was here, he realized how cowardly that was. He had to do this himself. With a tear in eye, Nate grabbed his revolver. "I know."

"Hurry," Selena urged him.

_I wake up in the morning and I wonder_

_Why everything's the same as it was_

_I can't understand, no, I can't understand_

_How life goes on the way it does_

Nate wanted to tell her how sorry he was that he had to do this, promise that she'd be okay, but he just didn't have enough time. He loaded his revolver, and he pointed it at Selena's face. "I love you."

"Do it!"

Nate looked away, and his finger began to squeeze the trigger…

"Nate, wait!"

Before he fired, Nora suddenly gripped his wrist and jerked it upright. His shot fired harmlessly into the ceiling, killing no one.

Nate stared at Nora, his face filled with confusion. "Wh-what? Why did you…?"

Nora stared back at him, her face as white as snow.

"… we're too late."

_Why does my heart go on beating?_

_Why do these eyes of mine cry?_

_Don't they know it's the end of the world?_

_It ended when you said goodbye_

* * *

**Song: The End of the World**

**Artist: Skeeter Davis**


	47. The World Must Go On

Death…

Chara was no stranger to death. Before climbing Mount Ebott, she had endured a harsh life of poverty with her family. Her original parents had been pathetic losers who sold illegal drugs to get by, but perhaps she should have been grateful. At least she had parents, and at least they hadn't abused her like some other horrible families out there. It wasn't the best life, but it wasn't the worst, either.

However, that had all been destined to change. One fateful day, Chara's parents were murdered right before her eyes, shot dead by a vengeful man with a perverted sense of justice. Chara narrowly escaped with her life. She could have run to the authorities, but instead, she decided that she was done living in the human world. She ran to Mount Ebott, the place where she could disappear forever.

Curiously, after taking her first family away, it seemed that fate had decided to show her mercy. When she fell inside the caverns under the mountain, she met Asriel, and she was soon taken in by Toriel and Asgore. Her new family had shown her more kindness than she thought was possible. She could have lived the rest of her days happy with them, but then she had to get that  _stupid_ plan in her head.

Dying was painful enough, but the thing that truly hurt was watching Asriel die. Her brother, her best friend forever, had died, killed by the humans she hated. Asriel's death had hurt far more than her own death ever could. As Asriel and Chara's combined soul shattered, Chara died filled with more pain and regret than she had ever felt. She died as she lived, a worthless failure.

Pain… that was how she became a demon, was it not?

And now, she was feeling that pain once again. Frisk was dead. Frisk, the one who had fixed the mess she had created. The one who had done everything he could to help her brother. The one who had saved her from death itself. The one who had stolen her heart; the one she had fallen in love with.

Chara had never thought she could love a human the way she loved Frisk. Father had called her the future of humans and monsters, but Chara felt the same way most monsters felt. If the monsters somehow broke free of the Underground, the humans would kill them. When she made Asriel go to her old village, she really did want to destroy them all.

Yet, against all odds, Frisk had helped restore a spark of hope for Chara. She knew that Frisk was just one person, but seeing the way he fought, fighting without fighting, it made her want to believe again. Frisk may have taken a pacifistic approach to things, but that never meant he was a pushover. He always strived to do what he believed was right, and he never gave up.

Words could not properly express how much Chara loved and admired him. Frisk was easily the greatest human – if not the greatest person – she had ever met. He was a treasure, a shining example of the best of humanity, living proof that humans could be as loving and compassionate as monsters.

That wasn't to say he was perfect, no one was. He wasn't above feeling angry or upset, but even when someone hurt him, his first response was never to write them off as a bad person. He always wanted to see the good in even the worst of people. That's what made him special, what set him apart from simply being 'nice.' He didn't just not kill his enemies; he wanted to understand them.

Unfortunately, Frisk couldn't always have his way. There were plenty of truly blackhearted people out there, people who would hurt others without any remorse, but Frisk always strived to be as empathetic as possible. Chara loved that about him so much. She loved  _him_ so much. She loved Frisk.

And this human, Elizabeth Malcom, had killed him.

Not only that, she had destroyed his soul. Frisk's red soul had shattered to pieces, and they had all disappeared. It wasn't going to magically repair itself like it did during his climatic battle with Asriel. It… it wasn't coming back. Frisk was…

Something wet and salty flowed down Chara's cheeks. It fell down from her red eyes like a fountain, and it dripped onto the floor.

How long had it been? Only a few seconds, but it felt like an entirety. Everyone else was still processing what had happened, staring at Frisk's bloody corpse, refusing to believe what was right in front of them.

Toriel was the first to scream.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Papyrus's jawbone dropped as low as it could. "Did… did you just…? N-no! You can't do that! That's not allowed!"

Undyne clenched and unclenched her fists. "You… filthy human…"

Alphys shrieked, sweat pouring down her face. "N-no! Frisk can't be dead! He can't be!"

Mettaton cupped the sides of his head. "What…? No! You can't end it like that!  _You_   _can't end it like that_! Our hero can't just… die here."

Napstablook cried. "Wh-why?"

Asgore's eyes were fixed on the ground. Ultimately, he was the one who chose not to surrender, which had led to Frisk's death. Chara knew exactly how he felt. Neither of them had been strong enough to protect Frisk.

As for the terrorists, a minority of them looked regretful as they saw Frisk's corpse. Jacob himself had gone pale, like he was going to vomit. Most of them, however, stared coldly at Frisk, seeming to say  _good riddance_. Elizabeth stood over him, her knife dripping Frisk's blood onto the floor.

Aside from them, the only ones who maintained their composure were Sans and Gaster. They just kept their eye sockets on Elizabeth, their usual smiles on their faces.

Even Flowey was showing more emotion than them. His simulated eyes twitched irritably as he looked at Frisk's dead body. He wasn't in agony like one of his best friends had died; it was more like someone had broken a toy he was having fun with.

Still, that was more than what Sans and Gaster were demonstrating. They didn't seem to care at all. Their skeletal faces shouldn't have inhibited their expressions  _that_ much. Chara was infuriated. What the hell was wrong with them?!

Elodie turned her green eyes towards her. She wanted to comfort her, but what could she possibly say? There was nothing she could do. Not after…

" _Agh!_ "

Chara wailed, her tears pouring down on the floor. Why was it him? Why did it have to be Frisk? If one of them had to die, it should have been  _her_! Frisk deserved to live  _much_ more than she did, so why was she still breathing while Frisk's body grew cold? Frisk was a hero, while Chara was a horrible, disgusting creature who hated humanity. She was…

Chara's tears turned black.

Suddenly, laughter echoed throughout the room. It was the laughter of a total maniac. Everyone's eyes drifted to the source. It was Monty. He was laughing hysterically, so much that even the terrorists were unnerved.

"Why are you laughing, freak?" one of the terrorists demanded.

Monty stifled himself and smiled horribly at them. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that… you're all gonna die now."

All the terrorists trained their weapons on Monty, but that quickly changed when they saw Chara's face, fully warped into its true form. Gleaming red pupils lit up her empty eye sockets, her mouth oozed black tar, and her entire being radiated a malefic aura of pure killing intent. It was a sight horrifying enough to make even a battle-hardened soldier quiver in fear.

Yes, this was her true form. Ugly, disgusting, repulsive, a monster among monsters, someone who should have been dead, a demon.

But, there was someone here who was even worse than Chara, someone who had destroyed one of the purest hearts in world. Elizabeth Malcom… no, every single one of these terrorists had to die!

Elodie couldn't just watch this. She reached out her hand and grabbed Chara's shoulder. "Chara, wait! This is what Monty wants! This was his plan all along! He wants you to kill them!"

Chara didn't give a damn about that.  _They killed Frisk._ Who cared what Monty wanted? If their interests were aligned, then so be it.

"Chara, please!" Elodie exclaimed. "Frisk wouldn't want you to throw your life away!"

… whenever someone attacked him, Frisk's first objective was always to figure out why, assuming he didn't know that already. In this case, Chara knew what Elizabeth wanted, but how did killing Frisk help her? If the monsters refused to surrender, then she had already lost. What was she trying to accomplish? Did she just want them to suffer?

Chara locked eyes with Elizabeth. Before she died, there was something Chara had to know.

"…why?" Chara asked. "Why did you kill him?"

Elizabeth's blue eyes were cold, devoid of compassion. Her gaze drifted among the crowd. "I wonder, is the World Master before Frisk still alive?" Her eyes fixed on Flowey. "Or perhaps somewhere between life and death?"

Flowey grumbled in frustration. The Miller scientists had already suspected him of being the previous World Master. Word of it had undoubtedly reached Elizabeth.

"World Master," Elizabeth said, "if you are who I think you are, then you should be able to reset back to the point before the Barrier was broken, back when Frisk was alive."

Flowey could…? Yes, of course! Flowey could save him! All they had to do was kill Selena, and Flowey could reset to his last save point, and Frisk would be as alive as ever!

Although, a small part of Chara was opposed to the idea. It felt like cheating, going that far back to save one person, because screw consequences, right? Like they had explained to Elodie, the World Master couldn't reset every time someone died, or the universe would never progress. Even for someone as great as Frisk, resetting for his sake alone wouldn't be fair.

But, Chara quickly silenced that part of her. To hell with fair. She couldn't let Frisk die! She couldn't lose his loving smile, his kindness, his taste in books and anime, and – God help her – she would even miss his flirting. She would have given anything to bring him back. Flowey  _needed_ to reset.

… wait, why was Elizabeth pointing this out?

With a harsh tone, Elizabeth continued speaking. "But, should you choose to reset, know that Frisk's life will come with a heavy price. If anyone breaks the Barrier again, Jacob and I will not sit quietly. We will fight, and if Frisk cares about his friends as much as he says, he will suffer the same fate as Felicia."

Chara's felt a chill creep up her spine. She didn't want to hear what came next.

"This time," Elizabeth said, "it was Frisk who died. Next time, it will be someone else. Perhaps Toriel will be the victim of a tragic school shooting, or perhaps some crazed murderer will blow the innocent Papyrus's skull off his body. Maybe it will be Undyne, or Alphys, or Mettaton, or King Asgore himself, or maybe it will simply be an unremarkable family of Froggits. Every time you reset, we will strike a different way. At some time, at some place, monsters  _will_ die."

Chara felt like she was going to puke. This was unspeakable. Elizabeth was holding the entirety of monsterkind hostage, and if they reset that far back, before they found Felicia's soul, they would have absolutely no way to prove that Elizabeth was a criminal. They wouldn't be able to stop her, not without starting a war.

Elodie spoke with a quiet, shaky voice. "U-umm, yeah. That's, uh, that's pretty evil." Suddenly, she gasped, darting her head towards Chara. "Felicia!"

Felicia… if Flowey reset, Felicia's soul would fall back into Elizabeth's hands. Although she probably didn't want to admit it in front of Jacob, there was no way she'd let anyone find Felicia's soul again. She'd destroy it as soon as either Jacob or Melty reminded her what happened. Resetting would condemn Felicia to certain death, along with whoever else was killed by Elizabeth's ring of terrorists.

Elizabeth's blue eyes fixed on Gaster with a cold stare. "Did you really think you had won? This game is not over. If you want to win, you're going to have to make sacrifices. I admit, you  _are_ stronger. You  _will_ win, but at what cost? If you choose to fight, many more of you will die today."

Gaster replied calmly. "Indeed, any competent chess player will not allow victory without taking a single piece, and you have taken one of our most precious ones." Gaster bowed, but without a hint of sincerity. "You are a clever adversary, Elizabeth Malcom. A worthy opponent."

What was Gaster saying? He talked as if everything that had happened – including Frisk's death – had all gone  _according to plan._  Had he  _expected_ this to happen? Had he truly  _meant_ to sacrifice Frisk? His conduct earned many angry stares from the monsters, including Chara. They'd sort him out later, but for now, they had Elizabeth to deal with.

Just as shocked by his actions as everyone else, Elizabeth stared wide-eyed at Gaster, and she asked the question everyone was thinking. "You… you knew this would happen?"

"I am no prophet," Gaster said. "I have traveled across time and space, but even I cannot say for certain how this particular timeline will turn out. Fate isn't some monolithic thing that cannot be changed, but to answer your question… yes. I knew Frisk's death was a probable outcome."

Even more rage welled up from the pit of Chara's stomach, and she let it explode out of her. " _Gaster!_  What the fuck have you done?!"

" _Traitor!_ " Toriel shrieked.

As a chorus of monsters cried accusations of treason, Elizabeth continued to stare dumbstruck at Gaster. After a few moments, her shock was replaced by something else. Her lips curved upward in a chilling ear-to-ear smile, and a quiet sound escaped from her mouth. "Pfft… haha…"

It was laughter.

" _Ahahahaha!_  You would really do that? You would let Frisk die?"

"It's already done," Gaster said. "Frisk's death is regrettable, but the world must go on."

Elizabeth gave Gaster a respectful huff, with a wide smile on her face. "So, you do understand."

Gaster nodded. "Like I said, you won't let us win without taking something first. Felicia understood that. That's why she chose to surrender, but this time around, we  _really_ don't feel like losing."

"But, are you certain? It's not too late, you know. If you reset, Frisk will live, and as long as you don't break the Barrier, we'll be locked in a stalemate. I highly doubt we could defeat you while you have enough power to destroy the Barrier, but you can't really bring that power outside the Underground, can you? That would be a declaration of war, and you don't want that. There would be nothing either of us could do.

"That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Reset to the point before you left the Underground, and  _stay there_.  _Forever_. Frisk lives, and no one dies. I would say that's the best solution for everyone, at least until some monster or demon decides to fuck it up all over again."

That wasn't acceptable. Would the humans love the Barrier so much if  _they_ were the ones who had to live Underground? Would  _they_ accept being treated as an inferior species? Never. Chara couldn't let them win.

… but, Frisk…

Gaster stroked his jawbone as if thinking this over, but his mocking smile suggested that he had already came to his conclusion. "Hmm… no deal. I think we'll just kill you now."

"And are you truly,  _absolutely_  sure?" Elizabeth asked.

"Frisk will always live on in our heart."

Elizabeth's smile turned into a willful grin, like a warrior who knew she was about to fight her final battle. "Then, come at us with everything you've got, monsters!"

Chara's heart twisted in her chest. Did they really have to do this? Could they really not go back and save Frisk?

"I know what you're thinking," Flowey whispered, "but Gaster's right. Strangely enough, resetting now would have  _major_  consequences."

He... he was right. They couldn't trade all those lives for Frisk, and they couldn't surrender, either. There was only one thing left to do.

After a long silence, Felicia finally spoke up.

_Chara… fight._

That word had never felt so liberating.

Chara scanned her enemies. They weren't that many of them, a total of twenty-one: Elizabeth, Jacob, Jaeger, fourteen other terrorists with them in the front, and four more guarding the back exit.

Chara whispered to Flowey. "Brother, can you take care of the ones at the exit?"

"Easily."

Chara was going to fight with all her strength, but if the enemy killed her, one of the monsters could absorb her soul. She hoped it didn't come to that, however. She would gladly give her life for them if it came down it; she just didn't want them to resort to soul absorption. That was the mistake that had gotten Asriel killed. This time, Chara wasn't going to hide behind her friends. She was going to fight with her own power.

Besides, it wasn't her soul to give.

Chara walked to the center of the room. Her demonic presence sent shivers through the terrorists' spines. Every single one was pointing their weapon at her, their hands trembling. Good, there would be no mercy for them. If Chara couldn't save Frisk, then she swore on her name that she would avenge him.

She stared at the enemy with all her rage, and they screamed.

"Oh, God! What the fuck is this thing?!"

"Demon!"

"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!"

A salvo of bullets raced towards Chara. She cast Barrier and blocked the projectiles. Her face twisted into a grimace as the shots pounded against her shield. Pinned down like this, she couldn't fight back, and she couldn't keep this up forever. Every hit drained some of her EN. Tar secreted from her furrowed brow like sweat. She had to fight back somehow.

Suddenly, a glowing blue spear pierced through one of the terrorists shooting at Chara, knocking the terrorist right off her feet. Undyne shouted and raised another lance. "Hey! Don't just stand there! Fight!"

With determined battle cries, several monsters joined the battle. A diverse arsenal of spears, fireballs, lasers, lightning, ice, bones, bugs, bombs, and all kinds of magic flew towards the enemy. As the terrorists scrambled to dodge, the bullets stopped flying at Chara, giving her an opening to attack. She stretched out her arms, summoning a massive array of red knives over her head. With a clench of her fists, the knives flew.

The  _terrorists_ were supposed to be the ones inciting terror, but the massive barrage of magic sent them all cowering in fear, frantically running to evade the onslaught. Jacob himself screamed and retreated all the way to the back of the courtroom and ducked inside a corner. Aside from that coward, every single one of the terrorists was struck and injured by some magical projectile. Naturally, the seriousness of their injuries varied depending on the strength and number of hits taken. Some of the terrorists suffered minor burns on their skin, while others were afflicted with deep, bleeding gashes.

Chara swiped her arm, and her magical knives whirled around like leaves in a violent storm. They pierced through several of the terrorists. As they all cried out in agony, Chara shouted at them, her voice overflowing with wrath. "I am Chara Dreemurr! Princess of the Kingdom of Monsters, daughter of Asgore and Toriel, and the demon who will punish you all for the murder of Frisk!  _Prepare to die!_ "

She launched another wave of knives straight at the enemy; she felt a gratifying pleasure every time she made a terrorist bleed. Unfortunately, none of her attacks had been fatal yet. Everyone she hit was painfully injured, but not incapacitated.

No deaths yet, but that would change soon.

_Keep an eye on your EN!_ Felicia reminded her.

_I know!_

The enemy's morale was plummeting fast. Many of them crouched down on the ground and covered their heads with chattering teeth. The average monster was far weaker than the average human, but with all of them fighting together, it certainly didn't seem that way. It was a shame that none of the deadly amalgamates were there; they had the Endogeny Incident to thank for that. Still, there were exceptionally powerful monsters such as Sans and Gaster at play, and they outnumbered the enemy by roughly fifty percent. They could do this.

Jaeger's orange eyes burned fiercely as he barked orders to his troops. "Pull yourselves together! These monsters aren't as strong as they look! Use your DT! Fight back!"

Every one of the rogue soldiers obeyed at once, as if their initial panic had been a ruse. The most grievously injured ones took out DT syringes and healed themselves, while the others raised their guns and opened fire.

Most of the monsters got their heads down while Chara kept throwing her knives at the enemy. Damn it, now she knew how frustrating it was for Undyne when Frisk instantly healed himself by stuffing a cinnamon bunny down his throat. Chara and the monsters did their best to keep up the pressure. They kept pounding their magic into the terrorists, keeping enough on the defensive so they wouldn't get overwhelmed. Still, a single well-placed bullet could instantly kill one of the weaker monsters, or one of the human civilians desperately trying to stay out of the crossfire. They had to evacuate them,  _immediately_. How was Flowey doing?

Without letting her defenses down, Chara glanced back at the main exit. Flowey had already killed one guard with a circle of energy bullets, and Chara looked just in time to watch him snap the neck of the second with his vines. His illusory face was scrunched up with a frustrated grimace as he killed them. The remaining two were unexpectedly attacked by someone from outside. One was shot in the head, and the other went up in flames. They were all dead.

Flowey reached out a vine, ready to grab the souls of the dead terrorists, until he heard a clicking sound. He jumped back just in time to avoid the explosions that blew open the chests of the terrorists. They popped like firecrackers, and all four of their souls shattered, scattering a rainbow of shards across the room.

Flowey scowled. "Self-destruct devices? Oh, come on!"

Well… seventeen left.

With the exit clear, everyone who couldn't fight flooded out of the courtroom. Aside from Chara herself, the ones who stayed included twenty-nine monsters, two humans, and one flower. Additionally, Nate and Nora squeezed their way through the mob of evacuees, bringing the total number of human allies to four: Elodie, Flora, Nora, and Nate.

There was also Monty, but Chara certainly wasn't going to consider him a friend. He was a complete wildcard in this battle. Chara needed to keep an eye on him. Whatever he was up to, it probably wasn't just to complete the look.

Nate took cover behind a row of the courtroom's seats. He saw Frisk's corpse, and his yellow eyes grew wide. "No…"

Flowey angrily yelled at him. "Why the hell didn't you kill Selena?!"

"I'm sorry, we were too –"

Flowey pressed a thorn against his neck. "I'm going to kill you!"

Nora shouted back. "Hey! Take it out on  _them_!" She pointed at the enemy. " _They're_  the ones who killed Frisk!"

"Indeed, they are."

Their attention was drawn by an ominous cackle of fire, sparkling in the palm of Toriel's hand. The murderous look on her face chilled Chara to her bones, and she spoke with a voice full of venom.

"Hey, Asgore," Toriel snarled. "Let us murder some humans."

Sweat dripped down Asgore's face. He didn't want to fight, but – after casting a glance at Frisk's corpse – he solemnly nodded. "Very well."

The two boss monsters charged up their spells, and they unleashed a torrent of flames upon the enemy. Fireball after fireball came down. Everyone who got hit was severely burned. About half of the enemy was sent screaming and rolling on the ground.

At the same time, more monsters attacked. Undyne kept chucking her spears, and so did Greater Dog. Royal Guards 01 and 02 threw shuriken at the terrorists. Mettaton – currently in box form – zapped the enemy with his electrical beam. Some of the mercenaries who fought Frisk in the Core also attacked with their magic, and Jerry – yes, Jerry – extended the duration of  _everyone's_ spells, making the combined assault even more devastating.

Even Papyrus attacked. This had to be the first time Chara had ever seen him sad. His eyebrows miserably drooped down, and where there was usually a smile was a heartbreaking frown on his face. He stared somberly at the enemy.

"Well, it's not like I can politely ask them to bring Frisk back," Papyrus muttered. "Guess I'll fight, then."

Papyrus raised his arm, and several bones shot out from the ground beneath the enemy. Before they could fire their weapons, several terrorists were impaled and lifted off the ground. Their bodies slowly slid down back to the floor before the bones retracted. Although there were no fatalities, everyone who was struck had a deep wound in their stomach that required immediate attention. Chara was shocked. She… didn't think Papyrus had that in him.

Speaking of skeletons…

"Sans," Gaster said, "may I trouble you to lend me your assistance in battle?"

Sans sighed, as if Gaster was asking him to take out the trash. "Well, if you insist, boss."

With a twist of his hand, Sans enveloped one of the terrorists in a blue aura, and he sent him flying upwards. The unfortunate solider crashed into the ceiling, which cracked both the ceiling and the victim's back. Sans and Gaster followed up the attack with their blasters, forming an X centered on the terrorist. Chara could hear his agonized shrieks before he fell back to the ground, landing in a pit of bones. His pulse came to a halt, triggering his self-destruction.

Sixteen left.

Overwhelmed by the monsters' relentless assault, the enemy was desperately struggling to return fire. They were constantly on the defensive, and now that the air grew thick with the stench of blood, their morale threatened to fall back down. Several panicked cries rang out from the enemy.

"Holy shit!"

"How did the monsters lose again?!"

"They're too strong!"

Before the enemy lost all hope, Elizabeth pulled something out of extra-dimensional space. It was an ebony staff. The tip curved into a spiral, and it stood about as tall as Elizabeth did. It was a magician's staff. It was entirely possible to use magic without any tools, but magical items like this staff could grant various benefits such as increased attack power or decreased energy cost. No doubt the one Elizabeth held in her hand was exceptionally powerful.

Elizabeth struck her staff on the ground and shouted a spell. "Group Heal!"

A green circle rippled outward from the staff, and every enemy it touched was completely healed. Chara let out a frustrated growl. All that work, undone in an instant.

"Shoot them, already!" Jaeger barked.

Their morale healed along with their wounds, the enemy looked back at the monsters without fear. They raised their guns, and they fired in unison.

Now that the entire enemy had healed, the monsters quickly lost their momentum as the battle tipped into the enemy's favor. Everyone dived for cover, but before she could get down, a bullet pierced Toriel's chest. She slumped behind the courtroom seats, coughing up dust. Chara felt as if she had been shot as well. She cried out to her. "Mother!"

Asgore's face boiled red. With a forceful thrust, he summoned his trident and hurled it at the enemy with all his might. The trident skewered the soldier who had shot Toriel, sending him flying and pinning him against the wall. Sans and Gaster shot their blasters at the pinned enemy, making short work of him.

Fifteen left.

The enemy retaliated with gunfire, and two bullets struck Asgore. He took one bullet to his arm and one to his stomach. He collapsed next to Toriel; they were both critically injured. Their breaths were heavy and ragged, and dust flowed out of their wounds.

No… Chara couldn't lose anyone else. She rushed to her Mom and Dad as fast as she could. They were badly injured, but not beyond saving. Chara cast her healing magic on them. Their wounds closed, but they were still out of breath. The shock of inching near death wasn't so easy to shake off.

Toriel whimpered. "My child…"

"I won't let them kill you," Chara promised. "They will pay for what they've done."

Asgore groaned. "Chara… don't die us on, too."

… she couldn't promise that.

Chara returned her attention to the fight. Almost all of the monsters were pinned down as bullets flew just over their heads. The monster had done well at the start, but now the tables had turned.

Even Sans was having a bad time. He wiped sweat off his skull as he sat down behind cover. "Ha… ha… whew! Yeah, those bullets are  _really_ fast."

However, there was an exception; there was a certain type of monster that could stay out in the open without fear. Ethereal monsters were immune to physical attacks, gunfire was no exception. Gaster remained in the air; every bullet shot at him phased harmlessly right through his incorporeal projection. He fired his blasters, but the enemy was getting better at dodging them. The beams grazed a few enemies, but all the damage it did was quickly healed by Elizabeth. He couldn't outpace their healing alone.

But, there was another monster. Another ghost floated high in the air. They had a snow-white body, and they wore a pair of simple black headphones. They looked down on the enemy with a somber expression on their face.

That monster was Napstablook.

Everyone's eyes were on the gloomy ghost, not sure what to expect. No one could picture Napstablook hurting anyone. They were just an introverted, docile ghost who wanted to raise snails and write music. How could they kill anyone?

Napstablook sniffled, tears sparkling in their eyes. "How could you guys be so mean? Frisk was nice… why did you kill him? Why? You… you shouldn't have done that… you…"

Suddenly, a massive stereo appeared behind Napstablook, and a microphone floated in front of their mouth. They took a deep breath…

… and screamed.

A shrill, ear-shattering shriek rippled through the enemy. The sound waves were represented by light blue waves emanating from Napstablook's speakers, along with a mighty gust of wind. With clenched teeth, the terrorists covered their ears and struggled to maintain their balance.

Unfortunately, this attack affected the monsters' side as well. Most of them, including Chara, were too stunned themselves to capitalize on the opening Napstablook had created. The only exception was Gaster, who fired at one of the terrorists during the confusion. The terrorist sidestepped the attack, but then she was caught by Napstablook's light blue soundwaves. She was sent flying, and Gaster blasted her in mid-air, marking another fatality.

Fourteen left.

Fighting through the tempest, Elizabeth growled at Napstablook. "Would you quit that?!"

The tip of Elizabeth's staff glowed with a blue light, and a blue beam raced towards Napstablook, landing a direct hit. The magic beam exploded violently on impact, knocking Napstablook out of the air. They tumbled down towards the ground. Napstablook lied down with their back on the floor. Their body flickered like a dying light, unconscious.

_Stop…_

Mettaton howled with rage. "AAGH! Die, villains!"

Mettaton rolled in front of the enemy, and – with a brilliant flash of light – he transformed. Where there was once a box was now a bipedal robot armed with a massive cannon, Mettaton NEO.

Chara gasped, but not because she was awestruck by Mettaton's might. Mettaton NEO had immense attack power, but – despite his armored appearance – not nearly as much defense as his sturdy box form. In fact, it had even less defense than his EX form. What was he thinking? He would have been much safer sticking with his rectangular body. NEO was too dangerous!

Mettaton NEO aimed his cannon. Particles of light gathered into the aperture, and a bright, white beam fired straight at Elizabeth. It was massive, about six feet in diameter. Anyone caught in it could very well die instantly.

Despite that, Elizabeth met the attack head-on. With an expertly timed wave of her staff, she parried Mettaton's beam with a barrier and reflected it right back at him. Mettaton's own attack pierced through his body, tearing open a large hole. Severed wires and sparks flew out of the opening, and Mettaton collapsed to his knees.

_Stop it…_

Undyne yelled and threw more spears. One of the terrorists shot her in the chest twice, causing dust to spill out of her body. Despite the grievous wounds, Undyne grit her teeth and raised another spear. She would have kept fighting, if Alphys hadn't pulled her to the ground.

_Stop hurting my friends…_

A grenade detonated. The fragmentation struck Final Froggit, Whimsalot, Astigmatism…

_Leave them alone!_

… Madjick, Knight Knight…

Why? Why did humans insist on hurting everyone she loved? Chara couldn't let this continue. She had to remind them who their true enemy was.

Chara felt a presence next to her; Monty placed something in her hand. "Here you are!"

About time.

* * *

A cold sweat trickled down the brow of a rogue Military Police officer. His name was Jonathan Cohen, friends called him Jack. He was a young, twenty-year-old man, with short brown hair and green eyes. In his hands he held an M1X assault rifle, quivering as he pointed it at the enemy.

Could they really do this? He had just watched Zachary get skewered by a pit of bones, and Daisy had been obliterated by those blasters. They had both been killed so quickly.

_Oh, God… please don't let me die here._

… did he have the right to ask for that? Did he have the right to pray for his life? Frisk didn't want to die, either, but Elizabeth still killed him. Jack had agreed to help knowing perfectly well that Frisk – and all of monsterkind – would die.

Jack shook his head and cleared away those horrible thoughts. No, no! Frisk deserved it! Frisk was the bastard who brought the monsters here. If it weren't for him, everything would have been perfectly fine. Life would have went on as peacefully as always. This was all his fault; that's why he deserved to die.

Jack remembered the day Campbell had implicitly recruited him for this act of terrorism. Jack hadn't cared for the shady way he had spoken to him, full of 'hypothetical' questions and remarks, but he knew he couldn't refuse.

As a young Military Police officer, Jack had to spend a lot of time away from home, but whenever he came back, his family was always so happy to see him. His parents were always thankful that he hadn't gotten hurt, and his little sisters – both less than ten years old – always embraced him with adorable, cheerful smiles. He loved them all so much.

And he would have been damned if he let some monster like Boaris kill them.

That was why he had to fight. He had to protect his family – all of humanity – from the monster threat. He steadied the grip on his gun. He couldn't back down.

But, nothing had prepared him for this.

What terrified him most wasn't the monsters. It wasn't the goats who threw countless fireballs. It wasn't the fish who skewered them with spears. It wasn't even the skeletons who vaporized them with those skull-like cannons.

No, the word  _monster_ wasn't enough to describe the malevolent being that stood before him. It was her, the Demon herself, Chara.

Again, Chara advanced straight down the middle of the room, brandishing a sharp knife. The hatred seething from her empty eye sockets threatened to freeze Jack solid. His primal instincts screamed at him to run away, but he couldn't just abandon everyone else. He had to fight.

The Demon raised her arm, and another hailstorm of red knives came crashing down on them. Chara's magic hurt much worse than the monsters' magic. Everyone covered their heads as the knives came down. Two of them cut through Jack's arms, burning his skin and sending a wave of intense pain throughout his entire body. He whimpered, but he did his best not to shamefully cry out.

By the time Jack looked back up, the Demon was sprinting right for him. With a terrified shriek, Jack raised his rifle and sprayed her at full auto, but it was futile. The Demon cast a barrier and absorbed every shot.

_Click!_

Jack had emptied his magazine. Shit, shit! He didn't want to die like this! "S-someone, help me! The Demon's –"

His cry for help was interrupted by the feeling of knives piercing through his neck. The Demon had skillfully flung three energy knives right into it. Jack clutched his throat as he was assailed with a burning, chocking sensation from inside. His rifle dropped and clanged on the floor, and the Demon reached him.

Chara threw two more knives, one at each of Jack's legs. The pain turned his legs to jelly, and he crumbled to the ground. The Demon crouched down over him, without a trace of mercy in her glowing, red pupils.

Why wasn't anyone helping him?! He frantically swiveled his head around; most of them were too busy fighting the monsters. Two of them did try to help, but one was lifted in the air by the skeletons, and the other was ensnared and strangled by the flower's vines. Jack gulped. The Demon had him.

Tears welled up inside Jack's green eyes. There was nothing he could do, nothing other than beg for his life. He held up his hands. His throat still felt like it was on fire, but he fought with all his strength to get words out.

"N-no, please! Please don't kill me! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The Demon's face scrunched up in disgust, enraged that Jack would dare plead for mercy. She raised her knife, and she brought it down into Jack's chest. Blood spurted out of the wound and painted Chara's body red.

Jack couldn't let this demon be the last thing he saw. He closed his eyes. As the demon's knife thrust into him again, Jack's mind parted from his body. The last thing he thought of was his family, his parents and his little sisters waiting for him back home.

* * *

Chara rapidly stabbed the nameless man's chest as fast as she could, drenching herself in his crimson blood.

She couldn't believe the nerve of him. How could he ask for forgiveness after what he did? He had sowed his fate when he chose to side with terrorists; Chara was just the reaper. Awfully convenient that he felt guilty the moment he knew the consequences were coming. If there were such a thing as hell, Chara hoped he burned in it for all eternity.

The terrorist's HP had already dropped to zero; Chara sensed his life fade away. She waited in anticipation to see how much EXP she got.

EXP was a measure of how much pain one had caused through killing. Therefore, an individual's EXP value was determined by how much people cared about the victim, how much pain the victim's death would cause. Naturally, killers and such were generally worth less than innocent people, but there were some caveats. Whatever system used to calculate EXP didn't account for any pain prevented by killing, and it didn't care who got hurt by the victim's death. So, if killing a 'bad guy' caused pain for other bad guys, even the bad guy could be worth a great deal of EXP, regardless of how many people would benefit from the criminal's death. Because of these rules, Chara could still hope that even this horrible person would grant her strength.

And he did.

The average value was about fifty points, and that's exactly what Chara got. As soon as that vile creature was slain, Chara earned fifty EXP, propelling her from LV 1 to LV 3.

Chara let out a deep, sensual sigh. Power… this is what she needed. If she had possessed more power, she would have been able to save Frisk. It was too late for him, but she could still save everyone else. Flowey, Toriel, Asgore, everyone… they all needed her.

Chara stood back up as terrorist's fresh corpse self-destructed, scattering green shards all around.

Eleven left.

_Good work,_ Felicia said.

Now that she had made her first kill, several heads turned to face Chara. Her demonic face was chilling enough on its own, but now that she was slathered in the blood of her enemy, the terrorists couldn't keep their eyes off her.

"Shoot the Demon! Shoot the Demon!"

_Yes, that's right. Leave my friends alone; I'm the one you want!_

Chara had to keep as much attention focused on her as possible. The more bullets they fired at the monsters, the more likely one of them was to die. Chara couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let a single monster turn to dust.

Bullets came at Chara left and right. As she did her best to deflect them, she felt like her reflexes had improved, perhaps thanks to her increased LOVE, but they were still  _bullets_ , and she could only cover one angle at a time. It was like a much harder version of blocking Undyne's spears. There was no way Chara could avoid them all; she still wasn't strong enough.

Chara felt a bullet strike through her left side. She grimaced and moved her barrier, and then she was shot in the right side. The heart locket she wore around her neck glowed. Its magic imbued her with a protective aura, raising her defense far above the average person. Still, they were real bullets. A hot, intense pain blossomed from her wounds, and her HP dropped from twenty-eight to sixteen. It wouldn't take much of this to kill her.

_Damn it… I need to get stronger._

The monsters took advantage of the panic and kept fighting with their magic. Sans and Gaster blasted another terrorist to death, and Flowey impaled another one with thorns. Elodie cast healing magic on Chara, and everyone else hit the enemy as hard as they could.

Chara had to keep fighting. She couldn't let the enemy return their attention to her friends. She had to be the one they hated, the one they wanted to kill. She would take it all. She would take all the blame, all the hate, all the pain, so that her friends may live. She would be their shield, and their sword.

In her right hand, she charged up a fireball and hurled it at the nearest enemy. The terrorist failed to dodge, and the fireball exploded on impact. Before he could finish his scream, Chara leapt at him and thrust her knife into his neck. His blood felt like warm rain as it sprayed on Chara's face. The terrorist went down, and Chara was awarded with an additional thirty EXP, and her LOVE increased to four.

Eight left.

Chara's heart pounded. It still wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed more power. As Chara ravenously searched for her next target, something hit her, hard. Buckshot rammed into her stomach and tore holes all over it. She staggered back from the blow and coughed up blood, pain electrifying her body.

She knew who had hit her.

With pounding footsteps, General Jaeger stepped towards her. He aimed his shotgun, and he fired again. Chara blocked it, but the energy cost for absorbing such a powerful hit was extreme. Her EN fell to forty percent. Jaeger fired again. Twenty-six percent. Another blast. Twelve percent.

_Chara!_  Felicia cried.  _You can't take another hit!_

A human mage could run out of EN and be perfectly fine, but EN was what kept Chara's resurrected body alive. If she ran out of EN, she would die. Chara had no choice but to drop her barrier.

Flowey saw what was happening, and he rushed to help. "Chara!"

But the terrorists saw her as well.

"Kill Chara! Kill her now!"

More bullets came. Chara's brain spiked with adrenaline as it searched for a way to survive. Time slowed down dramatically, but it didn't matter. The bullets shot through Chara all over her body. She fell on all fours, and she saw her blood spill onto the floor beneath her. She felt deathly ill, and her vision blurred. Chara felt the welcoming embrace of death approach her; it was tempting.

If Chara died here, would she be reunited with Frisk?

She slammed her fist on the ground. How could she be so selfish?! She couldn't give up! She had to avenge Frisk! She had to save everyone! Chara stood back up, ignoring the expanding red puddle beneath her feet. She didn't dare check her remaining HP.

"Not yet," Chara breathed. "Not yet…"

The terrorists stared at her with dropped jaws.

"How the hell?!"

"Just die already, you freak!"

" _Chara!_ "

With all her strength, Chara summoned a single energy knife. She threw it at Jaeger. The knife clanged and bounced off his body without leaving a scratch. Jaeger scoffed. To him, she was an insect writhing on the floor as she stubbornly clung to the last of her life.

Jaeger fired once more, and Chara fell back to the ground.

"Go ahead and die now," Jaeger said coldly. "I know you want to."

_No..._

To  _everyone_ 's disbelief, Chara got up again. Her whole body screamed at her to lay back down, but she ignored it and stood up, and she limped forward. She tried to summon another knife, but it wouldn't come.

_C-come on, Chara,_ Felicia rasped.  _W-we can still..._

Sh-she… she couldn't die. She had to fight. She had to…

Chara blacked out.


	48. Double EXP

" **Frisk began his ascent."**

**-Chapter 1**

* * *

Chara woke up in a bed of golden flowers.

_Wh-what happened? Am I dead?_

She held the side of her head as she got to her feet. She looked around. It was a beautiful day. The blue sky was clear and sunny, the golden flowers were in full bloom, and she heard birds chirping happily in the distance. Her surroundings were familiar, old-timey buildings lined up along cobblestone streets. She was standing in the center of Ebott Village, where the humans had attacked Asriel.

But, this couldn't have been real. She checked her body. All of her wounds were gone, and her green shirt was in perfect condition. She felt her face. It was normal, not oozing her black demon liquid. It was as if the fight with Elizabeth had been a bad dream.

No,  _this_ was the dream; it was reality she had woken up from.

"Ugh…"

Chara heard a feminine voice groan next to her. A young, thirteen-year-old girl rose from the bed of golden flowers. She wore blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She had long, raven-black hair, and her eyes were bright red, even brighter than Chara's.

It was Felicia.

Felicia groggily wiped her eyes, and she saw her. "Chara?"

"Felicia?"

Felicia examined her surroundings, just as confused as Chara was. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

If it was a dream, it was an extremely vivid one, indistinguishable from reality. She saw the village in crystal clear detail, she heard Felicia's voice perfectly, she felt the wind brush against her skin, and she even smelled the flowers she stood on. How could she know for sure what this place was?

Chara had an idea. She checked her stats. She had one HP remaining. No, they weren't dead, not yet at least.

Felicia's tone grew urgent. "Chara, what happened? Talk to me!"

Chara remembered hearing that when you were on the verge of death, your brain went into overdrive, flashing through your entire past in a desperate struggle for survival. Perhaps that was how they had ended up in this dream world.

In that case, it was only a matter of time until…

"I'm sorry," Chara whispered sadly. "I failed."

Felicia looked at her with confusion in her eyes. "What are you taking about? We just have to get back…" Her eyebrows raised as she stared at Chara's unharmed body. She spoke in a faint whisper. "This isn't real…"

Chara nodded. "We're dying, Felicia. I was too weak."

Felicia wildly shook her head. "No, we can still fight! We just have to wake up!" She pinched herself, hard, painfully. "C-come on! Wake up!" She slapped herself. "Wake up, Felicia!  _Wake_ –"

Chara caught her wrist. "Stop."

Felicia looked at her with teary eyes. "Chara…"

Chara pulled Felicia close, locking her in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to save you, but I failed. I  _always_  fail."

Felicia returned her embrace, wrapping her arms around her. "No,  _I'm_  sorry. You fought so hard for me, but I gave you nothing in return." She laughed bitterly. "All I did was tell you to fight. Some partner I am, right?"

"You did everything you could," Chara said.

"… thank you," Felicia whispered. "Thank you for fighting the battles that I never could."

"Aww… you two are adorable!"

They gasped and turned to face the monster approaching them. It was Gaster, but his body was fully intact as it had been before his accident. The holes in his hands were still there, but the cracks in his skull were gone. He waved at them. "Greetings."

"Gaster?" Chara said. "What's going on? What is this place?"

He smiled. "It's you, Chara! We're inside your mind, at an accelerated rate of activity. Your friends are running to help as we speak, but it may be a while from our perspective."

So, it  _was_ a dream... or, to be more precise, it was Gaster screwing around with her head.

"And yes," Gaster said. "I am the real Gaster, not a figment of your imagination, but I'm afraid you'll have to trust me on that one."

_Gaster…_

Chara overflowed with rage. She lunged at him, seizing him by the collar of his suit. "Gaster, why?! Why did you let Frisk die?! We  _saved_ you, and this is how you repay us?! You could have saved him! I  _know_ you could have!"

"Could I?" Gaster challenged. "Elizabeth had the first move, and she used it to take Frisk."

"You knew it would happen!"

"And what will you do now?" Gaster asked. "Can you not let go? Can you not move on? Are you just going to lay down and die? Will your knife rust inside the sheath of your body as you follow Frisk to his grave?"

What? No, of course not! She wasn't  _that_ pathetic. Losing Frisk would scar her for life, but she couldn't give up. She had to keep on living. It's what Frisk would have wanted. She could survive without him just fine.

But…

Chara sobbed. She didn't  _want_ Frisk to die! She wanted him here, with her! "Ha, 'Frisk will always live on in our hearts,'" she spat. "Fuck you! I want him to  _live!_ "

She screamed, and she struck Gaster's stupid face with a devastating hook. His head twisted to the side, but he didn't seem to feel any pain. With pathetic sobs, she repeatedly hammered her fist into Gaster's shoulder. "I hate you! I hate you!  _I hate you!_ I should have listened to Goner Kid! I should have let you rot in time and space forever! Go burn in hell, you fucking traitor!"

Her strikes gradually slowed as her sobs intensified. She let go of Gaster and covered her crying eyes. She didn't want this. She didn't want to live in a world without Frisk.  _She wanted him back._

"… I loved him," Chara whispered. "He was supposed to be the love of my life, Gaster. Do you have any idea what it's like to lose someone like that?"

Gaster hummed thoughtfully. "Can't say I do. Never had anyone like that. I just know what it's like to be erased from existence and forgotten by almost everyone, watching the world continue perfectly fine without me. That can't possibly compare."

Felicia clenched her fists. "Maybe you deserve that."

Gaster shrugged. "What would you have me do? Do you not have any respect for death? Death is absolute; death is final. It's an immutable law of this world. When someone dies, they don't come back… isn't that right?"

"Death can go screw itself and die!" Chara shouted.

Gaster heaved a long, heavy sigh, and then he laughed. "Chara, Chara. I thought you, of all people, would have figured it out."

Huh?

"Figured  _what_  out?" Felicia asked.

Gaster smiled. "Remember what I said about Chess? Against a remotely competent player, you will not win without sacrificing at least a few pieces. Each side has sixteen pieces, on an eight-by-eight square grid. Perfectly balanced. Both sides know exactly what the other is capable of. Even a grandmaster cannot win unscathed."

"What the hell is your point?" Chara snapped. "We're not playing Chess."

He grinned. "Yes, Chara! Exactly! We are  _not_ playing Chess! In Chess, all the information you need is handed to you. If you are taken by surprise, it is because you failed to anticipate the enemy's strategy, but in reality, it is not so simple. Wouldn't it be annoying if you took your opponent's queen, only for them to place a new queen on the board out of nowhere? Or what if they take one of your pieces and use it against you? Games are frustrating when you don't know the rules, wouldn't you agree?"

Chara still didn't understand. "What are you saying?"

"For instance," Gaster said, "Elizabeth thinks she has killed Frisk. That is only partially correct, for there is a crucial rule to this game that she forgot to account for."

… it started to sink in. With widening eyes, Chara finally realized what Gaster was getting at.

_Frisk will always live on in our heart_.

That bastard…

"Yes, that's right," Gaster said. "It's the same reason why you and I are able to have this conversation, a universal constant of this world." His eye sockets lit up with a cheeky twinkle. "Those with determination  _suck_  at dying."

_He can't be serious…_

Gaster walked over to the golden flower patch. He crouched down and gently shook something with his hand. "Wake up, Frisk."

"Nngh…"

Chara felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. Out of the golden flowers, the most breathtaking boy Chara had ever laid eyes upon stood up. A strong breeze blew through the plaza, and the boy's adorable brown hair swayed in the wind. He looked tired, hurt, confused, but alive.

Felicia stared at him with disbelieving eyes. "God…"

Chara called out to him. " _Frisk!_ "

Their eyes met. "Chara…?"

That voice was sweeter than chocolate.

Everything that wasn't Frisk blurred out of Chara's mind. Frisk was alive.  _Frisk was alive!_ Chara couldn't contain the joy swelling through her heart. Her eyes wet with tears, she leapt into Frisk and squeezed her arms around his body, embracing him with all her love. "F-Frisk!" she sobbed. "Oh, Frisk! I thought you were dead!"

Frisk didn't hug back. He replied with a tired, hazy voice. "Am I not?" He looked around the plaza. "Where are we?"

"In my head," Chara answered. "Gaster explained it already. We're not dead, Frisk." She held him tighter, pressing their chests together. He felt so…

… huh? Frisk's body… there was no warmth. It felt so cold, like a corpse. Well, it wasn't his real body, maybe that was why? No, Felicia's body hadn't felt cold when they embraced. It was just Frisk.

Frisk frowned. "Something doesn't feel right, Chara. Something's… wrong."

Oh, no…

"What happened to me?" Not-Quite-Frisk asked. "How am I here? Elizabeth killed me, didn't she?"

Chara let go and looked Frisk in the eyes. "Frisk, after you died, a massive fight broke out. The terrorists, the monsters, we all started fighting, and I…" She choked. "I killed two people, Frisk."

Frisk was silent, so Chara kept talking. "I… I know you're probably not happy about that. I understand if you're upset with me. I just wanted to –"

A fiery rage burned inside Frisk's dark red eyes. "Did they hurt you?"

That wasn't the reaction she had expected. Her lips pursed. "Umm…"

"Chara, did they hurt you?"

She broke eye contact, afraid of what would happen no matter how she answered. "Well, that's why we're here. They, uh, they shot me."

The fire in Frisk's eyes cackled, and they glowed with a blinding red light. He screamed. " _AGH! Those little shits! Do they get off to watching you suffer?! I'll kill them!_ "

… never in her life had Chara seen Frisk  _this_  angry. Sure, not even Frisk had been above the occasional outburst every now and then, but this was something else. Frisk she knew and loved would never scream with such bloodlust. No, that wasn't Frisk, not exactly. The truth was now painfully clear; Frisk had suffered the same fate as Chara.

He was a demon.

Even Felicia – Queen of Tantrums – gasped when she saw him like this. "Frisk…"

With panting breaths, Frisk gradually came back to his senses and calmed down. He held his pounding chest. "Whoa… that didn't sound like me."

"Uh, yeah, no shit," Felicia said.

Frisk gave Felicia a dubious look. "Who the hell are you?"

The two of them had never met like this before, so Felicia answered calmly. "I'm Felicia."

"Oh, whatever." Frisk had said that with total disdain, but his own words made his brow furrow in disgust. "Oh, what's gotten into me?! That was so rude! I'm...sorry?" He held his head. "Wh-what's  _wrong_ with me?!"

Chara gently held his shoulder and whispered to him, her tone dead serious. "Frisk… Elizabeth didn't just kill you. She destroyed your soul. She destroyed your soul, Frisk. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

His lips parted in shock. "You mean…?"

Chara nodded. "You're a demon, Frisk."

Frisk voice stuttered as he struggled to comprehend this. "I… I don't have a soul? N-no! No! I can't be soulless! I can't! How can I just stop caring about you?! I love you! I… I…" His face twisted into a painful grimace. "It's wrong. Everything is all wrong. It's all so  _cold_."

Seeing Frisk return had filled Chara with hope, but now she was slipping back into despair. This soulless creature was no more Frisk than Flowey was Asriel. He was a broken shell of his former self. A soulless being was a textbook psychopath, unable to feel a shred of compassion for others, and what was Frisk without that?

"… it'll be okay," Felicia said. "We'll find you a new soul. You'll be back to your old self in no time, Frisk."

"Y-yes!" Chara exclaimed. "We'll fix you, Frisk! I promise!"

Frisk stared timidly at her, like a lost puppy. "You promise?"

"Of course, I'd do anything for you."

Frisk frowned. "Please fix me, Chara. I don't want to be like this."

Chara remembered she had already made two such promises to Asriel and Felicia. She had promised both of them that they'd be restored to their former selves, but she had yet to make good on either. What good was a promise from her? At this rate, her word was meaningless.

Still, she couldn't lose hope. Chara nodded willfully. "We'll find a way, Frisk. For you, Asriel, and Felicia. I won't rest until all of you are back to normal."

"Th-thank you," Frisk said.

Chara looked back, fixing Gaster with a hateful glare. "You call this mercy?"

"Don't worry," Gaster said. "You said it yourself. You'll fix him, won't you? Simply ensure that he doesn't turn into a psychotic universe-consuming god, and everything will work out."

Suddenly, a tremor roared through the imaginary village. The ground shook wildly beneath Chara's feet. "Wh-what? What's happening?"

"Looks like we're out of time," Gaster said. "Your friends have arrived; it won't be long now. See you back in reality." He began walking away, but then he stopped. "Oh, one last thing. Don't tell anyone about Frisk just yet. It's good… motivation."

He faded away, leaving the rest of them behind without further explanation. What was going on? Were they waking up?

If they were, Chara had to warn Frisk what was waiting for them.

"Frisk," Chara said, "remember what I told you. We're in the middle of a fight. They'll try to kill us, and they'll try to kill our friends too. We have to fight back. There's no other way."

Frisk frowned bitterly. "Kill or be killed, huh?"

Chara whimpered. "Yes, that's what it's come to."

He clenched his fists. "Who else have they hurt?"

"Too many," Chara said. "Mettaton, Napstablook, Undyne, Mom, Dad… God, I hope they're okay."

"… fine," Soulless Frisk groused. "I don't want them to hurt anyone else. Do whatever you want to them. Make them pay."

It was so painful to hear Frisk talk like this; it wasn't like all. "I'm sure the real you would feel differently," Chara reminded him.

"Maybe, but I'll just have to get over it." He laughed. "It's weird. I don't love you, Chara. I  _can't_  love you, not like this, but… I still don't want them to hurt you. It's kind of hard to explain, but I think it's more the principle of the matter rather than genuine concern for your well-being. Like, it's not that I'm sad to see you get hurt, but more that I'm angry to see people hurt you, you know?"

Chara laughed back. "It  _is_ weird, but I think I understand."

"You're a beautiful person, Chara," Frisk said. "I still believe that, even now. I think you're wonderful, but so many people refuse to give you a chance. It infuriates me."

From her own experience, Chara understood exactly what Frisk was going through. The soulless felt no love for others, but that didn't mean they were entirely devoid of emotion. They could still feel sorrow, despondence, fear, anger, hate… all the flaws that made one painfully human. Without his soul, these were the emotions that motivated Frisk. He couldn't love her, but he could still hate the ones who hurt her.

Chara smiled. "I know it frustrates you, Frisk, but don't worry about it. I told you before, didn't I? It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. Your love is all the validation I need."

Frisk frowned. "I just hate how they assume that they know you. They think they understand exactly who you are, when the truth is that they've only seen a few small glimpses of your life, the  _worst_ ones at that. It's so pretentious." He sighed. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? I know this isn't what you want from me, but I can't give you that right now. I don't have it."

The ground shook again. Chara could feel it; they were waking up.

Chara lovingly caressed Frisk's cheek. "It's okay. Just this once, I'll accept being nothing more than a pawn in your game."

Frisk smiled. "Hey, why sell yourself so short? You're  _much_ more useful than a pawn. You're more like my queen, or at least a very well-played knight."

Chara laughed, and she held Frisk's cold body tight in a tender embrace. "I love you."

The world faded to white.

* * *

"Chara, wake up!"

Chara opened her eyes.

Flowey was leaning over her head, and she felt something prickling her arm. Flowey was injecting her with DT, probably salvaged from one of the terrorists. Chara's HP and EN both made a full recovery as her wounds that should have been fatal closed. Determination truly was a miraculous substance.

Chara brushed her fingers against Flowey's face. "Brother… thank you."

Flowey grunted at her. "Don't get all sappy on me! We have a battle to win!"

"Heh…  _sappy_."

" _God damn it, Chara!_ "

Chara sat up; she was surrounded by three people. Nora, Flora, and Elodie all stood in front of her, shielding her with a three-sided barricade.

"It seems we were just in time," Flora said.

"Chara!" Elodie exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Chara muttered. "Never better."

Nora chuckled. "I like your style, Chara, but you can't just run straight into the enemy like that. Self-preservation is the key to victory, you know."

Chara got back to her feet, and she immediately analyzed the enemy. A couple more terrorists had fallen while they were all busy shooting her. There were just six left, and one of them was still cowering in the back of the room like a little baby. Nate and the monsters exchanged fire while Jaeger and Elizabeth engaged the mages protecting Chara. Jaeger fired his shotgun, striking Flora's shield.

Through the barricade, Jaeger stared at Chara with disgust in his orange eyes. "Chara Dreemurr, over seven billion counts of attempted murder, all exonerated by a pardon that wasn't meant for you. What right do you have to judge the people you've killed? You don't even know their names."

Chara froze.

Elizabeth fired a beam at Flora's shield, and Jaeger fired another blast of buckshot. Flora's shield flickered wildly. She groaned and grit her teeth, but she held on.

Jaeger relentlessly kept firing. "Call them terrorists, but they were still people. Did you feel nothing when Jonathan begged for his life? He only wanted to protect his family, but you killed him without a second thought." He unloaded the rest of his magazine into Flora's shield. "You  _enjoyed_ it! Even though his sins were no greater than your own! Can you kill someone for the same crime that you've committed? Is that justice?!"

She knew that, but…

"Shut up!" Flowey yelled. "You  _made_ this kill or be killed!"

_Chara, no!_ Felicia exclaimed.  _Don't listen to the logic of a murderer! They forced you into this!_

_I mean, what can you do?_ Soulless Frisk asked.  _Politely ask him to stop killing us?_

… heh, alright.

Chara smiled. "You know what? You're right! In honor of Frisk's memory, let's all drop our weapons and stop fighting!"

A confused gasp escaped Jaeger's lips. "What?"

"Yeah!" Chara exclaimed. "Let's be friends! We'll build a campfire, hold hands, roast some marshmallows, sing  _Kumbaya,_ and we'll have a good fucking time."

Jaeger scowled. "Don't mock us, demon! We'll never surrender to a creature like you!"

Chara laughed. "Well, then. I guess you and I are not the same, are we?"

From the protection of her friends, Chara summoned dozens of knives, and she threw them all at Jaeger. They surrounded him like an enraged swarm of wasps, and he struggled like so, swatting and diving as the knives tore all over his body, but he was a tough one. Fighting through the pain, he fixed his orange eyes on Chara, and he charged forward.

"Keep fighting!" Elizabeth yelled. She raised her staff. "Greater Defense Boost!"

A blue aura surrounded Jaeger, increasing his defense stat. The knives continued to burn his skin, but he was able to keep running without slowing down.

Nora broke away from the formation, screaming Elizabeth's name.

_I see Elizabeth is going full anime on us,_ Frisk commented.  _Two can play at that game. You're so strong, Chara, but I think I can make you even stronger._

Jaeger reached the barricade and tackled Flora. He wrestled her to the ground and raised his shotgun. Just before he fired, Elodie swung her magical scepter and struck Jaeger's head, knocking him off Flora and reddening his face. He grunted and pointed his shotgun at Elodie, only to be blown away by a flurry of Chara's knives.

Chara's combat knife – the one Monty had given her – vibrated in her hand.

_Hmm, this isn't the knife Asgore gave you,_ Frisk observed.  _That's fine. I'll make it yours._

Frisk infused Chara's combat knife with a surge of magic, raising its power from 25 ATK to 99 ATK.

Chara grinned.  _Oh, Frisk… that feels good._

With that power, each one of Chara's knives drew blood from Jaeger, despite Elizabeth's defense spell. Several open wounds spilled his blood onto the floor. Despite his wounds, he managed to bring his shotgun back up again. In response, Flora cast a ball of ice and hurled it forward. It struck the barrel of Jaeger's shotgun, freezing it solid.

Jaeger angrily tossed his disabled shotgun to the side and charged again. He ran past Flora and went straight for Chara. He raised his fist…

Chara's heart locket vibrated.

_Your love for Asriel is worth more than a measly 15 DEF,_ Frisk said.  _Let's fix that._

The defensive magic of Chara's heart locket skyrocketed from 15 DEF to 99 DEF. When Jaeger's fist connected with Chara's face, it was like he had punched a steel wall. To Chara, it felt like Jaeger had slapped her cheek with a balloon sword. Jaeger groaned in pain and pulled back his throbbing fist, but Chara didn't let him get away. She shot her fist out and punched Jaeger's stomach with strength that shouldn't have been possible for a scrawny teenager. As Jaeger recoiled from the blow, Chara seized the back of his neck and looked him in the eyes.

"You're right," Chara said. "I shouldn't enjoy killing so much. I'll make this quick."

Chara raised her knife and stabbed Jaeger through his jugular vein. She let him fall to the floor as he choked and writhed. It wasn't long until his soul began to self-destruct, exploding with orange shards.

Chara gained 80 EXP. Her LOVE increased to LV 5. It felt incredible.

_Hmm… perhaps we can reach a compromise,_ Chara thought.  _One should take no pleasure in the act of taking another's life, but that feeling you get when your stats increase? That's bliss. If only there were ways to gain EXP besides killing._

_You know what?_ Soulless Frisk said.  _I agree. It feels pretty damn good._

_It sure does,_ Felicia concurred,  _but let's stay focused._

"General!" one of the terrorist cried, giving his spot away. He aimed his gun at Chara. "You'll die for that!"

_Idiot._

Chara threw a single energy knife at the terrorist. It pierced the center of his forehead, and he collapsed to the ground, an instant kill.

She gained 40 EXP. Her LOVE increased to LV 6.

Four left.

The two tenacious grunts who had survived this long had taken cover behind a pillar. They fired a few shots at Chara. She easily deflected them with Barrier, and the terrorists immediately pulled their heads back down.

"Oh, just come out already!" Flowey reached a vine behind the pillar and wrapped it around the two terrorists. He yanked them up, and they rolled out into the open like ragdolls.

One of the terrorists dropped his gun. He scrambled to retrieve it, but something heavy stomped on top of it. Nate stared down at him, his revolver aimed at his head.

"One more chance," Nate said. "Stop fighting."

The terrorist put his hands behind his head and prostrated before him. The other terrorist dropped her weapon and surrendered as well. "P-please don't kill us."

Flowey surrounded them with a deadly circle of energy pellets. A disgusted look was on his face. "Why should we spare you?"

Chara held out her hand, holding him back. "No, take them alive."

Flowey stared at her with raised eyebrows. "What?! You  _don't_ want to kill them?"

"We've beaten them," Chara said.

"Huh? How are you so restrained all of a sudden? Well, whatever. I suppose they could be useful."

Flowey ensnared the two terrorists with vines, completely immobilizing them.

Two left.

Meanwhile, Nora and Elizabeth were locked in a fierce duel. Both of their faces were covered in blood and severe burns, but neither of them showed signs of slowing down. Elizabeth blocked a fireball with Barrier, and she clicked her tongue. "Nora, what the hell are you doing?"

Nora brandished her sword. "You used me."

"Used? We both want the same thing. I thought I could trust you."

Elizabeth narrowly avoided a deadly swing from Nora.

"Me too."

Jacob was still cowering in the back, so Elizabeth was effectively the last one standing. Everyone who could still fight surrounded her: Sans, Gaster, Papyrus, Nate, Flora, Elodie, Flowey, and Chara. Even if she were as strong as Monty, there was no way she could beat them all.

With panting breaths, Nora stepped back, keeping her hand firmly on her sword. "It's over."

_Finally,_ Felicia said.  _Let's finish this._

_No,_ Chara said.  _We'll let the court handle her, as planned._

_But…_ Felicia sighed.  _You're right. Everyone should have a chance to see who she really is before she dies._

Elizabeth grimaced. "You're all fools. Do you think this will end with my death? Today, even the kindest monsters have turned into murderous beasts. You've shown the whole world that monsters have it in them. It's only a matter of time until someone else finds the courage to take my place."

… Chara thought of Toriel, how angry she had been. That wasn't how she was supposed to be. She was supposed to be kind. She wasn't  _always_ the most forgiving person, but Chara had never seen her wish death on anyone. It was wrong.

Chara clenched her fists. "No, we will not allow ourselves to be consumed by vengeance. Lay down your weapon."

Elizabeth sneered. "Ha, what's the point? Just finish me, right here and now."

"Sorry," Chara said, "we're not done with you yet."

"Excellent decision," Gaster said. "I highly recommend taking her alive. I have big plans for her."

Elizabeth laughed bitterly. "And Felicia agrees? Now  _that's_ a surprise."

Chara closed her eyes, and Felicia opened them. "There's one thing I don't understand," she said. "Why did you keep my soul? Why didn't you destroy it when you had the chance?"

"Would've been a waste of DT," Elizabeth spat.

"I doubt that," Felicia said flatly.

For a while, Elizabeth stared at her with a strange, unreadable expression in her blue eyes. Slowly, she hung down her head and whispered, "I didn't want to."

"Why? Why not finish what you started?"

"I didn't think it was necessary."

…  _she's not lying,_ Frisk said.  _A small part of her does regret what she did, but it's outweighed by her fear of monsters._

"… was it worth it?" Felicia asked.

"I keep telling you," Elizabeth said. "One day, either humans or monsters will be wiped out, or both. When that day comes, I hope you realize how wrong you were."

Felicia sighed. "I've heard enough. Bind her."

Elizabeth slammed her staff on the ground, and a blue vortex swirled above its tip. "No! Do it yourself!"

A chilling blizzard shot out of Flora's hand. Elizabeth's staff fell harmlessly to the floor as her arm was encased with ice.

Flora bowed. "Apologizes, Elizabeth, but you did hire me to watch over Felicia, did you not?"

Elizabeth growled. "You..."

Flora sprayed more ice magic, and Elizabeth's legs froze. She lost her balance and fell down on her face.

Flowey laughed and slapped Elizabeth's head with a vine. "Yeah! Take that!"

With her one free arm, Elizabeth reached for Flowey's vine. "Don't touch –"

Flora cast even more ice magic, freezing Elizabeth's other arm. With all her limbs frozen, all she could do was shiver helplessly on the floor. Elizabeth was captured.

Nate furrowed his brow. "Uh... she's not gonna die of hypothermia, is she?"

Flora shook her head. "Do not worry; I assure you that the spell is not fatal. While the ice may  _feel_ cold, it is actually at a comfortable temperature. It does not truly freeze the target; it merely causes paralysis accompanied by the  _sensation_ of freezing. Elizabeth is in great pain, but her life is not in danger. I could freeze her entire body, and she would be perfectly fine when thawed out."

Nate blinked. "Oh, uh, yeah... thanks for clearing that up." He shivered. "Whoa, I just got the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Well, whatever. The fight is over now; we've won."

A wave of relief rippled throughout the entire room. The exhausted monsters and friendly humans collectively sighed. There were no cheers. Some held each other, while others sat down on the floor. One glance at the faces made their feelings clear; they were glad it was over. As far as Chara was concerned, they were all heroes.

Elodie held Felicia's shoulder. "I know you're not okay, but at least they can't hurt anyone else, right?"

Felicia shook her head. "It's not over yet." She turned to the back of the room, where Jacob was still hiding. She walked over to him.

One left.

Jacob looked up at her. His eyes were always red, but they were even redder than normal. "Felicia…"

"Why did you side with her?" Felicia asked. "You knew what she did, but you still sided with her. How could you?"

"I wanted to keep you safe."

"Keep me safe? How the hell does helping my murderer keep me safe?!"

"I…"

_Yeah,_ Chara said.  _Logic._

Felicia folded her arms. "You never grew up. Even after all these years, you're still doing what Mommy says is best. Maybe you should try thinking for  _yourself_ for once."

Jacob stared pitifully at her. "I'm sorry, Felicia."

Felicia took a deep breath, covering her eyes. "You know what? I'm not mad. I'm not. I'm just  _really_ disappointed in you."

He looked like he was going to cry again. "I'm sorry…"

_Hey, Chara,_ Frisk chimed in.  _Jacob has a soul._

…  _yes, he does,_ Chara replied.

_A red soul._

_Indeed._

_I want it._

Felicia raised the pulse of Chara's body.  _H-hey, what are you talking about?_

If Chara were in control, she would have smiled.  _Then, let's take it._

_N-no!_ Felicia shouted.  _You can't!_

_He's a terrorist!_ Chara snapped.  _They'll execute him anyway._

Sensing their killing intent, Nora came running. "Hey! What's going on?!"

_How bothersome,_ Frisk complained.  _Chara, let's deal with her._

_No, stop!_

Felicia struggled for all she was worth, but with Chara  _and_  Frisk working against her, it was too much. She lost control. The eyes of Chara's body closed, and when they opened, they had turned a dark shade of red.

They were Frisk's eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Nora demanded. "Chara, Felicia, whichever you are! Knock it –"

In an instant, Frisk's knife stabbed through Nora's stomach. Her blood sprayed out of the wound as Frisk pulled the blade out. "You'll live," Frisk said coldly. "Your little perseverance tricks only work on attacks with intent to kill, right? But I wasn't trying to kill you. I'm a 'pacifist,' after all."

Nora's purple eyes widened. "What?"

Frisk turned away from her, and he faced Jacob. "You have something I need. Hand it over."

As more people ran to the scene, Jacob stared at Frisk with a dumbfounded expression. "Who are you?"

Frisk didn't waste time with further words. He raised his knife…

" _No!_ "

Ignoring her injury, Nora tried to tackle Frisk, but he didn't budge. She crashed against his body like an ocean wave against a stone wall, but she didn't give up. She held on to Frisk's arm. "Stop! Don't hurt –"

Frisk punched her hard in the face, sending her sprawling back on the floor. "Stay out of my way!"

"D-don't kill him," Nora sobbed. "Please! There has to be another –"

Jacob drew his handgun and pointed it at Frisk. Chara responded immediately. She assumed control of her body and assumed a defensive stance. "Go ahead and try it!"

Jacob glanced around the courtroom, stained with the blood of eighteen corpses. "I never should have done any of this." His gaze fixed back on Chara. "Felicia, I didn't want to choose, but I should have. I should have chosen  _you_ … no, that's not it. I can't blame Mother. I always did what I thought was right, but I wasn't. I can't take back what I did, but… I'll make up for it the only way I can."

Chara lowered her knife. "Wh-what?"

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Nora shrieked.

Jacob looked at her. "Nora... I'm sorry I hurt you. I  _never_ should have done that. I wish our last moments together weren't so miserable, but that's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Last moments?! What are you taking about?! Jacob, put that gun down this instant!"

Jacob shook his head. "I have to do this; it sure as hell beats staying in prison the rest of my life." His gun shifted to the side of his head. "Felicia, I give you my soul. Use it well. Goodbye."

Felicia screamed. " _Jacob, don't!_ "

A gunshot cracked, and a fine red mist sprayed out of Jacob's head. His red soul floated above his dying body.


	49. New Management

A finely dressed man stepped behind a podium, surrounded by a massive audience. His handsome appearance was befitting for a prince. He had long blond hair, blue eyes, a longsword on his hip, and a regal white coat, all complimenting his elegant posture. He spoke to the audience with grim passion. "My fellow citizens! It is with solemn responsibility that I, Vice President Rhys Clovis, accept appointment to the office of President of the World Government. What happened at the Ebott Courthouse was a shameful display of terrorism. Let us be thankful that the only ones to die were radicals such as our traitorous former President Jacob Malcom, as well as the idiotic World Master Frisk."

the newly appointed President Clovis continued to condemn both Frisk and the terrorists, insisting that while Frisk had dug his own grave, the terrorists' unlawful methods could not be condoned.

"Rest assured they will all be dealt with," Clovis said. "General Ackerman is hard at work leading the brave soldiers of the Military Police in cleaning up this threat, including the escaped fugitive Monty Togami. All terrorists will pay the price for acting above the law.

"… however, while terrorism is never acceptable, I do not condemn the goal they were trying to achieve. These filthy monsters, who illegally mass immigrated into our territory, should never have been admitted into human society! Elizabeth Malcom may have been a terrorist, but she knew our ancestors had sealed the monsters away for a reason! Which is why, as President of the World Government, I hereby demand Congress to pass a law banishing monsterkind back Underground!"

The crowd erupted with fervent roars, both in favor and against Clovis's harsh proposal.

"The monsters claim to be weak!" Clovis exclaimed. "They claim we have nothing to fear, but the battle yesterday has proven they are perfectly capable of killing us! If we don't act, Boaris's warning will come true, and if they won't go back quietly, we must –"

Chara turned off the TV.

"… nothing's changed," Chara muttered. "Nothing has changed."

Chara laid down on the couch she had been sitting on. She was in Alphys's lab. Flowey and Elodie sat beside her.

"Well, what did you expect?" Flowey asked. "You didn't actually think anything would change, did you?"

"They're all idiots," Chara said. "The monsters will never go back Underground, and to challenge them is suicide. They should understand that by now."

 _Key word: should,_ Frisk said.

Alphys walked over to them, holding a PDA in her hands. "U-umm, I finished checking out the readings."

Chara jumped out of the coach. "What did you see? Is she okay?"

"Y-yes," Alphys said. "Felicia is still there."

Elodie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God…"

Ever since Jacob's death, Felicia hadn't spoken a single word. Chara had begun to fear the worst, so she had Alphys scan her soul to make sure Felicia's essence was still active. She was so relieved that it was.

Still, Chara wished Felicia would talk to her.

"… what about Jacob?" Chara asked.

Alphys shook her head. "He's gone."

Well, that was to be expected. Jacob had lost the will to live, of course he was gone. The soul he had left behind was nothing more than an empty shell.

"But we can still use his soul, right?" Chara asked.

Alphys nodded. "Yeah, we can use it to bring Frisk back, or we could use it to make Felicia a new body."

Chara felt a lump in her throat. As much as she yearned to hold Frisk in her arms again, that soul rightfully belonged to Felicia. Before he died, Jacob had given it to  _her_. He may have been a terrorist, but in the end, he had sacrificed himself honorably. The least they could do for him was uphold his final wish.

 _Felicia, please talk to us,_ Chara pleaded.  _I know he was your brother. I'm not going to apologize for what I did, but I_ am  _sorry that it had to be done. Please, say something. His soul is yours; how we use it is up to you._

No response.

Elodie held her chest. "Felicia, what do you think?"

Chara frowned. "She's still not talking."

Flowey scowled at her. "Oh, would you quit sulking already?! Come on, Felicia! No one likes a rage quitter!"

Elodie tugged on Chara's shoulder. "Felicia, let me help you! Talk to me!"

No response.

Elodie folded her arms and pouted petulantly. "Oh, fine! Be that way! What do I care?!"

Frisk took control and gave Elodie a teasing smile. "Yeah, it's not like you  _like_  her, right?"

Elodie's face reddened as she startled. "Wh-what?! Frisk, is that you?"

"You know me so well."

Elodie calmed herself with a deep breath. "Frisk, what do  _you_ think? I know you need another soul, but…"

"Felicia can have it," Frisk said.

Chara was shocked to hear that.  _What?! But, you said you wanted –_

 _That was before Monty went missing,_ Frisk interjected.  _With him at large, it's too dangerous for us to split up. We're stronger together._

Chara couldn't help but smile at that last part.  _Stronger together, huh? Good to know your flirting is still intact._

 _I wasn't,_ Frisk said.  _It's an objective fact. As long as I stay with you, I can make you stronger. If we were to separate, we'd be weaker. To be safe, we should stay like this until Monty is dealt with._

Sometime during the battle at the courthouse, Monty had taken the opportunity to slip away. The Military Police was looking all over for him, but they had yet to find a trace. Chara didn't know what he was planning, but it was certainly trouble. Monty was bizarre, unpredictable, and dangerous. They needed every advantage they could get.

 _Okay,_ Chara said.  _Good plan. Once we find Monty, we'll take his soul, and then we can save you_ and  _Felicia._

_Yeah, that's the idea._

Chara was worried about him. In retrospect, it was frightening how quickly Frisk had gotten into the battle. His normal self would never have acted so coldly to Jacob, even if he did deserve to die. Frisk would have wanted to save him, but without his soul, how could he possibly care? Jacob was the bigot president who had made their lives miserable from the start; there was no way a soulless person could have possibly taken pity on him.

But, if he did have his soul, Frisk would have. Chara knew that, and that's what she loved him for. Kindness was an essential trait of any decent person, and that was especially true for Frisk. This version of Frisk was a  _very_ different side of him.

Although, to be honest, Chara kind of liked it…

Still, she preferred the real Frisk. After all, Soulless Frisk couldn't even love her. Unrequited love was the mark of a kind person, but… it also sucked. Once they took care of the remaining terrorists, Chara hoped they could finally settle down and find some peace.

 _So, uh, how are you feeling?_ Chara asked him.

 _Not feeling anything,_ Frisk said.  _No soul, remember?_

_That's not how it works, Frisk. You still have emotions, just not love or compassion for other people._

_So psychopaths have feelings too, huh?_

…  _yeah._

Frisk sighed.  _Look, I know what you're getting at. You want to make sure I'm not gonna go 'kill or be killed' on you, right? Don't worry. I won't. Well, I don't think so at least. I may have lost my ability to love people, but I'm not so far gone as to make them suffer for fun._

It was hard to hear Frisk say that, even if it was just his soulless shell.

 _You're going to regret it,_ Chara warned him.  _When you get a new soul, you'll feel bad for how you handled Jacob._

After a long pause, Frisk spoke again.  _You know, people call me a pacifist, but I've never really thought of myself like that, nor have I ever called myself one. It's something the masses came up with entirely on their own. The 'True Pacifist' they call me. Sure, I don't like fighting, but it's not like I have some kind of religious objection to it. I simply went Underground, met some people desperately fighting for freedom, judged the situation, and decided that they didn't deserve to die. That's all there is to it. I'm not as special as everyone thinks I am._

Chara didn't want to hear this.  _No, don't say that! You_ are  _special!_   _You just made it_ look  _easy! If anyone deserves to be called a True Pacifist, it's you!_

 _That's not true,_ Frisk said.  _I killed Toriel, remember? I didn't have to fight her, but I killed her anyway._

_That was an accident, Frisk! Everyone makes mistakes!_

_But that wasn't the last time I resorted to violence. When I faced Asgore for the first time, all I could do was fight. I took your worn dagger – the one Asgore had given you – and I hacked away until he was within an inch of death._

_But, you didn't kill him._

_That's not the point. The monsters never forced me into a truly kill or be killed situation, but if they had, I'm sure I would have chosen the former._

Well, there was nothing wrong with that. If someone had relentlessly tried to murder Frisk, he had every right to defend himself. Maybe he wasn't an  _absolute_ pacifist, but there was nothing wrong with killing a murderer to save others.

 _And yesterday,_ Frisk said,  _when Jacob put a gun to my head, all I could think was how badly I wanted to live. I didn't want it to end there. If there was a way I could have killed Jacob to save myself, I would have done it without hesitation, even_ with  _my soul._

Chara grimaced.  _I'm so sorry. I wanted to save you, but I was too weak._

…  _Chara, didn't you once say that you don't want to be my damsel-in-distress? That you can't rely on me for everything? The same goes for me, you know. It's not your responsibility to save me._

_But, I should still protect you when you're in trouble, shouldn't I?_

_Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to help your partner out of a tight spot, but don't think for a second that you did anything wrong. It was Elizabeth who killed me, after all. It's not your fault by any means._

Thinking rationally, Chara knew that Frisk was right, but her heart still insisted that she had failed him, that she should have been strong enough to protect him. She knew it sounded unhealthy, but Frisk was her hero, and she wanted to be his hero as well. That wasn't to say she wanted their relationship to be co-dependent. She just wanted to be the best person she could be, someone Frisk could be proud to call his lover.

 _Besides,_ Frisk said,  _you did_   _save me. Even as my soul shattered, your power kept me from slipping into death, and even when you thought I was gone, you fought so hard to protect everyone else. I may not be able to truly love you right now, but I'm still proud knowing that I have such a strong partner._

Proud… proud…  _proud?!_

Chara's lips parted.  _You… you're proud of me?_

_Yeah, I'm proud of you, Chara._

"Hey!" Flowey exclaimed. "Are you planning to include us in the conversation or what? What's going…?"

Chara sniffled. "Frisk…"

"What happened?" Elodie asked. "Did Frisk say something mean to you?"

Chara couldn't help it. Tears poured down her naturally red eyes. "Th-thank you, Frisk! That means so much to me!"

 _Uh, yeah, no problem,_ Frisk said.

Flowey smiled. "Jeez, why don't you two just get married already?"

Elodie smiled as well. "God, I was so wrong about you."

Chara wiped her eyes and returned her attention to Flowey and Elodie. "Uh, anyway, we've made our decision. As long as Monty remains a threat, Frisk will stay with me."

Elodie frowned. "I see." Her green eyes hardened with resolve. "Felicia, I hope you feel better soon; it's what your brother would have wanted."

"Jacob's soul belongs to her," Chara said. "Alphys, you can help her, right?"

"Uh, I will need some time," Alphys replied. "We've recovered Frisk's body, but Felicia's body was destroyed years ago. I'll need to make her a new one."

Elodie looked at her with a blush on her face. "Umm, yeah, I have some questions about that. Would this new body be, uh, human?"

Alphys straightened her glasses. "W-well, I was going to build her a robot –"

"Eww, no! I don't want her to be a robot!"

"Wh-why not?"

Elodie's face flushed as red as a beet. "Could I talk to you in private?"

Alphys titled her head. "Huh? Why…?"

Elodie grabbed Alphys's arm and dragged her a safe distance away.

"Hmm, I hope those two can keep the secret," Flowey said. "If Gaster doesn't want anyone to know about Frisk, there must be a good reason for it."

Chara was still angry with Gaster, but she couldn't allow her emotions to control her. She didn't like it, but she could see why he wanted to keep it a secret. Gaster, Sans, and the people in this lab were the only ones who knew. She had to tell Alphys so they could discuss his eventual resurrection, and she told Flowey because he was her brother. She also told Elodie because, well, Elodie had insisted on coming with them to make sure Felicia was okay, so it couldn't be helped.

"I can think of two reasons," Chara said. "First of all, it's probably so Frisk can continue being a martyr. It's likely that Elizabeth had more terrorists held in reserve. We should allow the public to think he's dead until we're sure that they've been wiped out."

Flowey hummed with amusement. "Kind of a dirty trick, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," Chara admitted, 'but it's only a partial lie. However, the second reason is for Frisk's own protection. If those terrorists find out that Frisk is still alive, he will have a massive target on his back. We have to keep him safe."

Flowey nodded. "Mhm, yeah. I can see that."

From the other side of the lab, Chara overheard Alphys laughing hysterically as she spoke with Elodie. "Oh! You're worried about  _that?!_ "

" _Don't laugh!_ "

Flowey cringed. "I don't even want to know."

Chara smiled. "I'm glad everyone's okay. Well, everyone except Jacob anyway."

All things considered, the battle had gone extremely well. Almost everyone had already made a full recovery, the only exception being Mettaton, who was still undergoing repairs. Not counting Frisk, the only fatalities were among the terrorists. It was almost a flawless victory. Chara was so happy that everyone had made it.

"Yeah, I guess," Flowey said flatly. "So, hey, I've been meaning to ask, who's the World Master now? It's not me; I've checked."

"It's me," Chara answered. "After gaining all that EXP, my power increased dramatically. As soon as Selena's excess DT was extracted, I became the new World Master. I recorded my first SAVE point this morning."

That was as far back as they could go. Even if Frisk were to become World Master again, his SAVE file had been permanently deleted. There was no reasonable way they could reset to a point before Elizabeth's attack, not that Chara wanted to.

Flowey sounded surprised. "Really? Poor Frisk. You had your magic, and he had his World Master thing. Now he has nothing going for him. How does it feel?"

Hmm, how  _did_ it feel? Frisk had been World Master for so long; Chara felt bad that she had stolen it from him, even unintentionally. Power was the ultimate test of one's character, and Frisk had passed it with flying colors. Could Chara be trusted to wield it as responsibly as Frisk had?

 _You'll be fine,_ Frisk assured her.  _I certainly trust you with it more than I trust myself right now._

Chara took a deep breath. Yeah, she'd be fine. She was no longer the misanthropic lunatic who had gotten her brother killed. She had to trust herself.

Elodie and Alphys walked back over to them. Elodie had a calm smile on her face, as if her composure had never faltered at all. "Okay, Felicia. If you're listening, Alphys and I have discussed the possibility of creating a clone of your body, but she'll need a sample of your DNA. Do you know where we might find one?"

Felicia continued to remain silent.

'That's a bit of a stretch," Chara said. "Who would have a sample of Felicia's DNA lying around?"

"Well, it doesn't  _have_ to be her DNA," Elodie said cheerfully. "It can be any woman's, really! You have no shortage of options, Felicia! If you want, I'd  _love_  to help you choose! We'll find you a gorgeous body that suits you perfectly!"

Frisk laughed to himself.  _God damn it, Elodie._

Flowey sighed. "Gosh, Felicia. Would you  _say_ something already? You and Nora are probably the only people in the world who are actually sad to see Jacob go."

Elodie's tone grew serious. "Well, I know how she feels. My dad is probably going to die soon. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but if Monty tries to hurt Felicia again, I won't let him. I l know what must be done."

Chara nodded. "Yes, if he tries anything, it won't be like last time. Frisk and I will stop him."

Yes, Chara was sure of it. With the power they had gained, they could defeat him. Monty was strong, but together, Frisk and Chara were stronger. They wouldn't let him hurt anyone else.

As soon as he showed himself, he was dead.

* * *

Papyrus sat with his friends at the bar, contemplating the battle at the courthouse.

Sans finished off his cup of beer and slammed it down on the table. "Yeah, that's the stuff. Grillby, let's have another!"

While Grillby refilled Sans's cup, Papyrus sipped his milk. "Sans," he said sadly, "why did she have to do it? Frisk was the bestest human ever. Why did Elizabeth kill him?"

"Some people will do anything for survival," Sans answered. "Like it or not, we  _are_ pretty dangerous. You can't really blame them for wanting to get rid of us."

Toriel's stool scrapped noisily across the floor as she turned to face him. "Do you  _dare_ defend those murderers?"

Asgore held her shoulder. "Tori…"

Toriel slapped Asgore hard across his face. "Do not touch me, Dreemurr!"

Asgore whimpered sadly. "Sorry…"

Toriel chugged down her glass of wine. Her face had flushed red, and her speech was slurred. "Those damn  _creatures_! Murdering innocent children! I hope Gaster makes Elizabeth suffer for what she has done!"

Undyne took a swig of her beer. "You said it! I want to take my spears and turn Elizabeth into a pin cushion."

Papyrus frowned. "Hey, guys, I know how you all feel, but I don't think Frisk would have wanted us to act this way."

"Y-yes," Asgore said. "You are quite right. I grieve for Frisk as greatly as any of you, but as Chara said, we must not allow vengeance to consume us."

Toriel huffed. "Hmph! Of course the murderer would defend his fellow murderers!"

Asgore did not respond; he just sipped his tea.

Papyrus's heart ached. What had those bad people done to them? This was wrong. It was all wrong!

Sans finished his second beer and placed it on the table. "It's getting late; maybe we should go."

Papyrus opened his mouth to protest, but ultimately decided he'd rather go home himself. "Yeah, let's go."

Sans placed some credit coins on the table. "Here you are, Grillby. Thanks for serving us, like always."

Grillby nodded and quietly took the money. Sans and Papyrus got out of their seats and started walking away. Sans stopped, and he turned to face everyone. "By the way…"

They all looked back at Sans, waiting for him to finish.

"… I was going to say something, but I forgot."

With that, Sans and Papyrus walked out of Grillby's.

* * *

Under the night sky, Papyrus and Sans made it back home. Sans stood in front of the door and dug around for his keys.

"Sans," Papyrus said quietly, "it's going to be okay, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Sans replied. "I mean, it sucks that Frisk is dead, but the world must go on."

"That's what Gaster said… Sans, you don't seem as sad as the rest of us. Why is that?"

Sans shrugged. "Oh, I am, but can you imagine me crying?"

Well, no. It  _was_ hard to imagine Sans crying. Still, Frisk was  _dead_. If that wasn't worth crying over, then what was?

Sans unlocked the door, and they went inside. Sans turned on the lights, and Papyrus groaned. He had forgotten how much of a mess they had piled up. The whole floor was littered with socks, pizza boxes, wrappers, leftover food… it was a miracle the place wasn't infested with insects and rodents.

Papyrus sighed. "I'm gonna clean up."

"Sounds good," Sans said. "I'm gonna lie down for a while."

Sans didn't even bother to walk upstairs to his room. He just hopped on the couch and quickly began to take a nap. Meanwhile, Papyrus went into the kitchen and retrieved a trash bag. He scooped up as much of the trash as he could. Once the bag was stuffed full, he opened the front door and brought it outside.

Papyrus took a deep breath, feeling the cool night air brush against his bones. He still couldn't believe Frisk was gone. What would life be like without him? How did Chara feel? She had loved Frisk, hadn't she? She must have been…

Wait a minute, wait a minute!

Chara… hadn't she died before? Yes, Chara had died, but then she undied! Why couldn't Frisk do the same thing? Was that why Gaster and Sans were acting like nothing was wrong? Because they knew Frisk would come back?

Papyrus took out his phone and dialed Gaster's number.

Gaster picked up. "Greetings, Papyrus. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Gaster! Is Frisk still alive?"

"Hmm? You saw Frisk die, didn't you? How does one recover from a shattered soul?"

"Chara did! And Asriel, too! They died, but they came back! Chara had a red soul, so shouldn't Frisk be able to do the same thing?"

"Papyrus, people with red souls die every day. If it were that easy, this world would be crawling with demons."

" _But he was the World Master! If he can't do it, then who can?!_ "

"Calm yourself, Papyrus. I know you miss him, but you must accept what happened and move on."

"But…"

"Sorry, I have to go. We'll talk later."

"Wait!"

Gaster hung up.

Papyrus fought the urge to throw his phone into the ground. Why?! It didn't make sense! Frisk had more natural determination than anyone, while Chara had never even been World Master! Why had Gaster brushed it off so easily? Was he hiding something?

"Wow! That's an interesting theory you've got there!"

Papyrus gasped. Out of the darkness, someone had approached him. It was a man with long brown hair and menacing red eyes, and the smile on his face made Papyrus's bones shiver.

"I wonder," Monty mused, "what would happen if two demons controlled the same body? How powerful would they be together? I bet it would be a spectacular sight to behold!" He aimed a pistol at Papyrus's head. "Wanna help me find out?"

* * *

Chara heard the front door open. Toriel had finally returned home. She clumsily opened the door and walked inside, greeting her with a shaky voice. "Oh, greeeetings my chiiiilld. How are you?"

Toriel nearly stumbled over; Chara caught her before she fell. "Mother, you're drunk."

"Oh, it is nothing. Just… just a few cups. That is all."

Chara sighed. This wasn't the first time she had seen Toriel like this. She hated it, especially since her biological parents had both suffered from a severe alcohol problem. The last thing Chara wanted to see was for Toriel to act like them.

Chara held her hand. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Noooo," Toriel whined. "We have so much to discuss. For starters, how was your visit with Alphys?"

Elodie and Flowey came over to help. The three of them dragged Toriel to the kitchen table and sat her down.

"Felicia is okay," Chara said. "She still won't talk to us, but she's alive."

"That is good," Toriel said. "What about Asriel? I hear Boaris is scheduled for execution shortly. May we take his soul and give it to Asriel?"

Chara nodded. "Yes, that crazy boar actually requested it. He specifically asked that his soul be used to resurrect Asriel." Why he did, Chara couldn't say. Perhaps he felt it would help him atone for his crimes, but no matter how badly Chara wanted to save Asriel, she would never forgive that insane lapdog.

"Excellent, at least I may have my children back…" Toriel stared down at the table, her face scrunching up in anguish. "Frisk…" She slammed her fist on the table and wailed, her tears dripping down her face. " _Frisk!_ "

Chara felt a pit in her stomach. She knew Frisk's survival had to be kept secret, but she saw no reason to let Toriel's agony continue.

"We should tell her," Elodie whispered.

Chara nodded. She walked over to Toriel and gently held her shoulder. "Mother…"

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Oh, of all times…!

Sniffling, Toriel wiped her face and approached the door. "Who is it?"

"Miss Toriel? This is General Ackerman, of the Military Police. May I come in?"

General Ackerman? What did the newly appointed head of the Military Police want with them?

Toriel slowly opened the door. General Ackerman was standing outside, along with Nate and Nora. They all wore their Military Police uniforms. Ackerman must have reinstated those two, but what were they doing here?

For a general, Ackerman looked surprisingly gentle. She was a fifty-two-year-old woman with calm light blue eyes and long hair as white as snow. She bowed courteously. "Good evening. I have come with a special request for your daughter, Chara Dreemurr. May I speak with her please?"

They wanted Chara? What for?

Toriel's teeth clenched. "What do want with my daughter?"

Her curiosity piqued, Chara stepped forward and introduced herself. "Greetings, I am Chara."

Ackerman held out her hand. "Hello, Chara. I am General Lisa Ackerman. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Chara shook her hand. "Likewise. What is it that you require of me?"

Ackerman stared solemnly at her. "Thanks to the efforts of Gaster, we've extracted some vital intelligence from Elizabeth Malcom, the location of a massive terrorist stronghold. I fully understand that I have no right to ask this of you, but we would greatly appreciate it if you could lend us your support in taking it down."

Two thoughts ran through Chara's mind. First, how had Gaster gotten Elizabeth to talk so quickly? Oh, mind magic, of course. Gaster had probably infiltrated Elizabeth's mind as he had done with Chara. Second, the Military Police wanted her to fight for them?

Toriel shot Ackerman a wrathful glare. "Are you insane?! She is only fourteen-years-old! You cannot ask this of her!"

Ackerman looked back at her shamefully. "I know, but Chara has proven herself to be an exceptionally powerful mage, one of the best I have ever seen. The terrorists are well-armed. We can beat them, but there's no telling how many of our soldiers it'll cost. If Chara fights with us, so many lives could be saved."

Chara thought it over. Those terrorists had to be stopped. They had almost erased Frisk from this world, and they wouldn't have stopped until all of monsterkind was wiped out. She hated them. If the Military Police wanted her to kill them, who was she to argue?

"No!" Toriel shouted. "My child is done fighting! She had suffered enough already! Leave her –"

Chara grabbed her arm. "Mother, it's okay."

"Like hell it is!" Toriel shouted. "You are  _not_ going with them! I forbid it!"

"Miss Toriel," Nora chimed in, "I understand that you don't want to lose Chara, but keep in mind that  _everyone_  is someone's child. Every one of us that falls in battle is a family devastated."

"Nonsense!" Toriel cried. "You are all adults that made your choices! Chara is too young to make this choice! Go fight and die, but leave my child alone! This does not concern her!"

Nate raised his hand. "Umm, if I may, based on the intelligence we have gathered, there is a strong possibility that the terrorists are plotting to assassinate Chara as we speak. She may be dragged into this fight regardless of her decision."

Toriel screamed deliriously. "Why?! Why do they insist on hurting my child?!"

"Chara," Ackerman said, "it is your decision. I will not blame you if you wish to stay out of this. You have already seen your share of fighting, but please consider it."

"Well," Flowey said, "I am definitely  _not_ a child, and I will gladly sign on to fight those terrorists."

Toriel gasped. "Asriel, no! You are not going, either!"

Chara tried to reach Felicia.  _Hey, Felicia, what do you think?_

 _I don't give a shit!_ Felicia yelled.  _Do whatever the fuck you want!_

Ah, finally! Felicia finally spoke to her! Even if Felicia hated her, Chara was glad to hear her voice again.

 _Gosh,_ Frisk said.  _If I didn't know any better, I would say she was an angsty thirteen-year-old. Oh, wait…_

 _Frisk, what about you?_ Chara asked.  _Do you want to fight?_

_Honestly, I have no idea what I'd say if I had my soul, but right now? I'm all for it._

"Elodie," Chara said, "what do you think?"

"It's not an easy question," Elodie answered. "On one hand, I don't want you or Felicia to die, but saving those who are in trouble is common sense. It's your choice, but if you choose to fight, then I'm coming with you."

Toriel's nonexistent blood drained from her face. "No! What is wrong with you children?! Stop this talk at once!"

"Hey!" Nora exclaimed. "These terrorists are from the same organization that murdered Frisk! Don't you want them to pay for what they've done?"

"I would rather keep the ones I have left!" Toriel countered. "I… I cannot lose them! I cannot lose anyone else!" She faced Chara. "P-please, do not go! Stay with me!"

Chara frowned. "I'm sorry, Mother. I can't sit by and let these terrorists kill more people. I have to fight."

Ackerman pressed her fist against her heart and dipped her head. "Thank you, Chara. We thank you from the bottom of our –"

" _No!_ "

Toriel flung a deadly fireball directly at Ackerman's head; Ackerman reacted immediately and swiftly dodged the missile. It flew past her head and exploded violently in the yard.

"Stop it!" Toriel screamed. "Stop it!  _Stop it!_  You cannot take her! You cannot! You… you..." She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

Ackerman knelt down, fixing Toriel with a gentle gaze. "I understand how you feel. My mother also severed in the Military Police, but she didn't want me to follow in her footsteps. When I told her that I wanted to enlist, she begged me not to. She wanted me to live a peaceful life, but I couldn't. I know how hard it is for a parent to watch their child run into battle, and I know what I'm asking is a crime. I know I'm breaking the rules by asking an underage child to fight for us. If she accepts, I swear that I will do everything in my power to keep her alive, and if – despite my best efforts – Chara dies, I swear that I will repay you with my life!"

_What?!_

Nate gasped. "General! You can't be serious!"

"Well, then," Nora said. "I guess we'll just have to make sure Chara doesn't die."

Toriel stared at Ackerman with her mouth wide open. "You… you are mad…"

"I want to save as many people as possible," Ackerman said. "Sometimes, that means putting people in harm's way. I know this is a horrible thing to ask, and I don't expect you to forgive me. However, I am confident Chara is strong enough to survive; that is why I'm gambling my life on it."

Hmm, Chara liked this woman.

"I cannot support this," Toriel breathed. "I  _will not_ support this."

Chara pat Toriel on the back. "I will come back alive, Mother. I promise."

"Chara…"

Chara felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket. A message from Papyrus? Chara opened it, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

"… what?"


	50. Power

**"** **Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.** **"**

–  **Toriel**

* * *

Chara stared wide-eyed at the image on her phone. It was a picture of Papyrus, lying on an orange floor gagged and tied up in rope. What the hell? Who had done this?!  _Why?!_ Was there no end to their torment? Chara was going to  _kill_ whoever had done this!

Chara's phone rang again, receiving a call from Papyrus's number. She put it on speaker and answered with an exasperated tone. "Who are you and what have you done?!"

"Take a guess."

Chara felt a chill creep up her spine. "Monty."

 _N-no,_ Felicia muttered.  _Not again, not again!_

 _There he goes again,_ Frisk calmly said.

Everyone else watched quietly as Monty spoke. "Papyrus and I are having a nice hang out," Monty said. "We'd love it if you came to join us. Meet us in the Last Corridor; we can't wait to see you. Oh, and don't even think about calling the police. If they crash the party, I'll be mad, and that wouldn't be good for poor Papyrus over here."

The Last Corridor? Where…? Chara thought of the picture. The floor consisted of orange and yellow square tiles, and there were stained-glass windows on the right, adorned with a symbol Chara could never forget. She knew where it was, the hallway where Sans had passed his final judgement on Frisk.

Chara growled into the receiver. "You're a sick bastard, you know that?"

"Irrelevant," Monty said. "I suggest you move quickly; Papyrus's life depends on it. Don't keep us waiting."

Monty hung up.

Chara turned to face General Ackerman. "I know where they are, Asgore's Castle within New Home, under Mount Ebott."

"You intend to go there yourself?" Ackerman asked.

Chara nodded. "Yes, I can't let him hurt Papyrus." She meant that. Papyrus was one of the most innocent people Chara knew. Only a truly miserable creature would have taken him hostage. She had to save him.

Ackerman's face turned pale. "Are you certain? Monty is –"

"I know full well how powerful he is," Chara replied. "It matters not. Papyrus's safety comes first."

Ackerman gave her a respectful smile. "It's wrong what people say about you. You're a kind person, Chara. Still, we'll follow you up to a safe distance away. If you see an opening, don't hesitate to call us."

"Of course," Chara said. "I'm also the World Master, so if anything goes wrong, I can go back."

"Even so, Monty is unfathomably powerful. I served with him once, and I've seen his strength firsthand. He's one of the only warriors I know that may be more powerful than you are."

"I'll just have to win anyway," Chara said.

Ackerman frowned. "I couldn't believe it when I found out what he did to Felicia. I've never felt so betrayed in my life. I had always looked up to Monty. In fact, he's the reason why I became a general. He's the one who convinced me that the  _right_ person should be in charge for once, not someone like that scum, Jaeger."

"Cool story," Flowey said, "but we don't have time to sit around and chat. Chara needs to get in that castle, now!"

Chara couldn't have agreed more. "Yes, there is no time to waste."

Ackerman turned and pointed to her car. "I'll take you there. Come with me!"

Chara ran with Ackerman to her vehicle. "Yes, thank you!"

"Don't mention it!"

As Chara and her friends ran off, Toriel stared at them with a terrified expression. "Chara, Asriel… do not die. Please."

They got in the car, and they raced towards Mount Ebott.

* * *

Chara, Flowey, Elodie walked through the abandoned hallways of Asgore's Castle, while Ackerman and an elite squad of Military Police agents stood by in the Throne Room. Ackerman had anticipated that Monty may have had surveillance equipment set up, so Chara had brought Elodie and Flowey with her to test its range. Chara didn't know what Monty was after, but it was unlikely that he would dispose of his hostage without warning.

As they approached their destination, Chara stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Elodie asked.

"Monty's there," Chara said.

"We know."

"No, I mean, I  _know_ he's there."

"Huh?"

Chara sensed it. Inside the next corridor, there was exactly one enemy lying in wait for them. It was as if the world itself was alerting her to a hostile presence. Was this Nora's ability? How had Chara acquired it? That power was supposed to be exclusive to perseverance souls, not even a determination soul should have been able to attain it. Was it another benefit of being a demon? Well, in any case, it was a very useful power to have.

Chara's phone vibrated. She answered it.

"Chara," Monty said, "didn't I make it clear? I only want you. Just you."

"My apologies," Chara replied. "I just thought you might want to see your daughter one last time before you die."

"Hmm… oh, all right, if you insist."

Really? Chara hadn't expected that. Was he trying to say that even the three of them working together wouldn't be enough to defeat him? He would regret that. Chara couldn't wait to see that smug bastard die.

The three of them stepped inside the hallway. The Underground's artificial sunlight shone through the windows, and at the other end of the hall, they saw Papyrus and Monty. Papyrus was just as he appeared in the photo, helplessly lying on the floor tied up, and Monty stood beside him. He was dressed in his Military Police uniform, and he carried a sword on his hip. He waved at them. "Finally, there you are."

"Tell me something," Chara said. "Of all people, why did you have to kidnap Papyrus?"

"Because he's smart," Monty said. "He knows things. For instance, he knows that Frisk is still hanging around in your head."

Chara gasped. "I… I don't what you're talking about!"

 _How the hell?!_ Frisk exclaimed.

Monty laughed. "You're a terrible liar, Chara. I can see it in your eyes. It's true, isn't it? Frisk lives on as your fellow demon. How does it feel to have three minds in one body? Must be crowded, I imagine."

Chara grimaced. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want. This world is dying, tearing apart at the seams. A firm hand is needed to keep it together, and I'm hoping that you will provide it."

Chara reached for her knife. "So, you want me to dominate the world like some evil overlord?"

Monty kept smiling. "This may sound hard to believe, but I've always done what I thought is best for this world. Humans will always use power to impose their will on others, but power is also needed to defend freedom. Power is not inherently good or evil; it all depends on how it's wielded."

Brandishing her knife, Chara stepped forward. "I'm really not in the mood to discuss philosophy right now."

"Wait!" Elodie cried. "Do you really have to fight?"

Monty smiled. "I'm glad to see you're eager, but first, we should establish some ground rules." He pointed at Papyrus, specifically, a brick-shaped object strapped to his body. "This is a C4 explosive. If you try to remove the device, it will detonate. If my heart stops beating, it will detonate. If you piss me off, it will detonate. The only way to disarm it is with a voice-activated passphrase, from my voice alone, naturally."

Chara felt sweat collect on her brow. "What do you  _want_?"

Monty drew his sword. "I will only say the passphrase if you defeat me in a fair, one-on-one duel. You are the World Master, are you not? If you kill me fair and square, you can return to this point, and I swear that I will speak the code. Don't forget, I always remember resets."

What? He wanted to duel Chara?

Monty laughed. "Actually, perhaps it's really a three-on-one fight? You, Frisk, and Felicia against me, but absolutely no one else." He glanced at Flowey. "Looking at you, angel. Don't interfere."

Flowey shrugged. "What are you looking at me for? Papyrus is one of the more interesting ones to mess around with. It would be a shame if you blew him up forever."

So that's why Monty let them in; he had planned everything out perfectly. Damn it! Chara had no choice but to play his game.

"But what are you getting out of this?" Chara asked. "Am I to swear on my honor that if you win, I won't reset?"

Monty stared at her as if to say  _what are you talking about_? "Haha! God, no! Take as many tries as you need!"

Chara's heart skipped a beat. "What?! Do you  _want_ to die?! You're insane!"

"I'm a wanted man," Monty said, "and I'm getting on in the years. Does a fugitive's life sound appealing when your body won't move the way you want it to anymore? No, but being killed by you would be the perfect ending for me." He brandished his blade. "However, don't think that means I'll go easy on you. You remember what happened to Felicia, don't you?"

Chara gulped. How could she forget? While she had dreamed of Felicia's memories, it was as if she had experienced it herself. The shock of all those deaths had put her in a coma for weeks. She knew perfectly well what she was in for. Still, she was far more powerful than Felicia had been. She had to be brave; she had to win.

"Father!" Elodie shouted. "Please, don't do this! You've already made Felicia suffer enough! Why do you have to torment Chara as well?"

Monty impatiently sighed. "We could talk in circles all day. Let's skip that, shall we? Have you saved, Chara? You might need it."

Chara did so. She concentrated hard and created a save point at that moment. Even if it took thousands,  _millions_  of tries, she would win. She had to, for everyone's sake.

* * *

Attempt 1

Monty lowered his stance and firmly gripped his sword. "At your ready."

Chara felt a pleasant sensation course though her body. Frisk had enhanced her strength, increasing her total ATK to 140 points. Knowing that Frisk was fighting by her side greatly comforted her.

 _Kick his ass,_ Frisk said.

Chara spread her arms.  _Felicia, this is for you._  She clapped her hands, and red energy knives came at Monty from his left and right sides. He deftly backflipped away and avoided the projectiles. Chara immediately followed up by summoning a pit of spikes beneath Monty's feet, which he jumped over easily. Chara summoned more knives from above, left, right, behind, in front…

**MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS**

Chara concentrated with all her might, and she surrounded Monty with a  _sphere_  of knives, tightly packed so there wasn't an opening.  _Let's see him dodge this!_ She contracted the sphere, ready to skewer Monty inside.

As the knives closed in all around him, Monty finally cast a spell of his own. He crossed his arms over his chest, and an overwhelming burst of wind exploded from his body, sending every single knife Chara had thrown at him crashing against the walls. She cast a barrier just before her own knives shattered against it. Damn, Monty was strong! And he was complaining about getting old? Chara had a youthful, athletic human body, and she couldn't keep up with him!

No matter! Monty was an old man; Chara just had to keep attacking! She threw more knives at Monty from all directions.

**MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS**

Not a single knife had so much as grazed Monty's skin. He hadn't lost a single point of his eighty HP, while Chara's EN was falling fast, and Monty hadn't even made an effort to counterattack. That wasn't because Chara had forced Monty on the defensive; Monty was toying with her.

" _Damn it!_ "

Chara kept attacking, sending a whirlwind of magical blades flying at Monty. A single knife struck its mark, shattering on Monty's arm…

**2**

… and dealing two damage, bringing him down from eighty HP to seventy-eight HP.

"Not bad," Monty said, as he cast a healing spell on himself, undoing the little damage he had taken.

Chara clutched her panting chest as she watched Monty heal the mere scratch she had inflicted on him. It had taken her so much effort just to drain 2.5% of Monty's HP, and he had healed it instantly. How could she possibly win?

"Gosh," Flowey breathed. "The nimble agility of Sans,  _and_  the raw power of Undyne."

 _Don't give up!_ Frisk exclaimed.  _You can't lose to this old man! Keep fighting!_

Despite Frisk's encouragement, Chara began to feel lightheaded, and her vision blurred. Chara's EN had dropped below five percent. Fortunately, Ackerman had given her three DT syringes. She took one and jammed its needle into her arm, injecting herself with DT. Her EN instantly restored to maximum capacity, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her stamina returned.

Knives weren't working, so how about fire? Chara summoned and lobbed a volley of explosive fireballs all around Monty. He swiped his arm and cast the same spell that he had used to deflect the knife sphere, Windblast. A powerful gust of wind reflected the fireballs, and they flew back towards Chara. She scrambled to put up a barrier, but she could only block one direction at a time. A fiery explosion seared Chara's right side, knocking her off her feet. Her HP dropped from forty points to twenty-five points.

 _Sorry!_ Frisk apologized.  _I was focusing everything on attack!_

Chara got back on her feet. Her right side had suffered a third-degree burn. Her skin was grossly charred and blistered, but there wasn't much pain because the burn had damaged her nervous system. Chara injected herself with her second DT syringe, healing the burn and fully restoring her HP and EN.

Chara's hand tightened around her real knife. Screw magic! All the LOVE in the world couldn't save Monty if she stabbed him in the neck. She charged at him with all her might, quickly closing the distance. She raised her knife and aimed for Monty's chest. Next thing Chara knew, Monty's hand was clasped around her wrist. He flipped her over, and Chara felt her back slam down on the floor. The impact of the concrete floor knocked the wind out of her, and she lost ten HP.

Monty stepped back. He could have ended it right there; why didn't he? Chara clenched her teeth as she got back up. "Quit fucking around!" she shouted. "If you're going to fight me, then  _fight_ me!"

Chara summoned more knives and flung them at Monty. It went about as well as it had before. A couple of knives hit him, but the little damage they dealt was quickly healed. Chara felt another attack of intense nausea as her EN fell below five percent, and she injected herself with her final DT syringe. Again, the DT fully restored her HP and EN, but unlike before, it didn't cure her sickness. Her vision was still blurry, and she felt the urge to vomit.

 _Come on!_ Frisk shouted.  _Keep fighting!_

Chara whimpered.  _It hurts…_

_I don't care if you're tired! Move your ass!_

If Frisk weren't soulless, Chara would have berated him harshly for that. Still, she didn't want to give up, either. She threw more knives at Monty, but they were slower and weaker than before. Monty didn't even bother dodging them. He simply let them shatter against his body, all dealing less than one damage. Chara didn't understand. The DT had fully healed her; why was she so weak?

Chara felt something drip down her arm. She looked at it, and she realized that the flesh on her body was melting. Her body couldn't handle all the excess DT she had injected herself with. That was why Ackerman had only given her three doses, any more would kill her.

"Chara, reset!" Elodie exclaimed. "You can't fight like that!"

No, Chara couldn't give up until it was over. The power to reset was an absolute last resort; she couldn't give up until her soul shattered. She thrust out her hand, and a steady stream of knives shot straight towards Monty as fast as bullets. Monty raised a barrier and absorbed the blades, but Chara kept firing, desperately hoping to wear him down.

 _Stop, you idiot!_ Felicia yelled.  _He's stronger than you! If this turns into a contest of endurance, you'll lose!_

Chara didn't listen to her. She kept pouring energy knives into Monty's shield. The knives scattered into tiny pieces as they rammed against the wall of light. Monty showed no signs of wearing down, but Chara still didn't stop.

 _Chara, stop!_ Frisk shouted.

She didn't stop.

_Chara! Your energy!_

Against her will, Chara's assault gradually died down. The stream of knives thinned and eventually disappeared… Chara's EN had reached zero.

Frisk's disembodied voice spoke with a quiet, apprehensive fear.  _That… that's bad, isn't it?_

Chara felt as ill as the time she had shoved those buttercups down her throat. A horrible nausea overloaded her senses. It was worse than the urge to vomit. She felt like she was going to…

Every cell in Chara's body burst apart, and she convulsed uncontrollably before melting into a red puddle on the floor. Her soul shattered.

* * *

Attempt 2

With panting breaths, Chara woke up back in the corridor. Time had reset to the moment before she had engaged Monty. Flowey and Elodie stood behind her, and Monty stood on the opposite end of the hallway.

"Well, now," Monty said. "What do you think went wrong there, Chara?"

Elodie gasped. "What happened?"

What happened? Monty had beaten the shit out of her, without even attacking her. She felt so humiliated! Even with Frisk by her side, she was nothing more an insect clawing at Monty's feet, just waiting to be squashed. She felt so powerless, and she  _hated_ it.

"You need to get more creative," Monty instructed. "There's no intelligence behind your attacks. You can't rely on brute force for everything. Show me your ingenuity."

Chara swore under her breath. He was one to talk about brute force. When Felicia and her friends had fought him, they had tried all kinds of strategies to defeat him, but they failed every time simply because he was too powerful, and it wasn't like Monty easy to outsmart. He wasn't just powerful; he also had a strong intellect and masterful skill to back it up. Even if Chara could outmaneuver him, what tactic could possibly compensate for the massive power gap between them?

But despite the odds, Chara racked her brain in search of an answer, searching for ways to make her attacks more difficult to avoid. Faster projectiles were always better, more projectiles were always better, but both of those cost a great deal of EN. She had to be tricky without expending all of her energy.

She thought of a move Undyne had taught her, and she used it. She threw a different type of knife at Monty, yellow knives. She fired a stream of them at high speed. Like last time, Monty cast a barrier to block them, but just before they impacted, they spun around in a one-hundred-eighty-degree orbit and struck Monty in the back.

Monty took a total of ten damage as several knives burned his skin. He smiled. "There you go, but I'm not going to hold back anymore. Get ready."

Using one of his signature spells, Blink, Monty shot himself towards Chara at supernatural speed. With perfect timing, he swung his sword across Chara's torso, slicing her in half. Chara saw her lower body collapse to the floor before her vision went blank.

* * *

Attempt 3

"Fuck!"

Chara grimaced and wrapped her arms around her body, paranoid that it would tear apart at any moment. This was  _not_  fun, to say the least. Chara looked up and scowled at Monty. How could anyone be so cruel?

Elodie ran to Chara's side and held her arm. "Chara, what's wrong?"

Flowey sighed. "She died, obviously."

Elodie gasped. "What? They fought already? What did he do?"

Flowey groaned. "Shut up."

From across the hallway, Monty continued to taunt her. "So, as I was saying, strategy is important, but power is important, too. Even the most brilliant plans can fall apart if the enemy turns out to be stronger than anticipated. Don't you wish you had more power to defeat me?"

Chara felt her face redden with rage. Monty needed to die, but that was proving to be extremely difficult. She dug her nails into her skull. How could an old man be so strong and agile? Those with determination defied common sense.

 _Keep trying,_ Frisk said.  _No matter how many times we lose, we only have to win once._

Hearing Frisk's voice snapped Chara out of her looming despair. She saw Monty dig in his heels, ready to charge again. Chara extended her knife with a long magical aura, converting it into a sword. Monty blinked towards her and attacked exactly the same way as last time, swing his sword as soon as he stopped in front of her, but Chara was ready. She raised her own sword and parried Monty's strike, and she countered with a downward slash, slicking across Monty's body. The magic cut deep through Monty's chest, and he lost six HP.

 _Yeah, that's it!_ Frisk cheered.

It wasn't that much...

Monty chuckled. "Very good, but how about this?" He thrust his palm upward, summoning a powerful updraft beneath Chara's feet. She lost her balance and launched high into the air, flipping around uncontrollably. Monty blinked up in the air after her and wound up his sword arm, but Chara raised her sword just in time to parry his strike…

… except, Monty's blade never impacted her own. A feint?! Instead of swinging his sword, Monty swiped his left hand, hurling Chara with another gust of wind. She went flying through the window, shattering the glass and landing in the concrete outside. Several shards of glass tore deep cuts all over her body. She groaned in pain as she felt warm blood drip down her face. She reached for a DT syringe, but before she could inject herself, she felt Monty's blade pierce her chest.

* * *

Attempt 4

"Uh, on second thought," Flowey said, "we  _could_ let Papyrus die."

That was the easy way out, wasn't it? Ackerman and an elite squad of Military Police agents were on standby. All Chara had to do was give the order, and they'd come running. It was unlikely that Monty could defeat them all, but then Papyrus would be condemned to certain death.

This was almost the same situation Felicia had found herself in. If Felicia had been willing to let a few of her friends die, she probably could have won eventually. The difference this time was that Chara didn't have the option to sacrifice herself alone. If she died, then Frisk and Felicia would die with her, and Papyrus would die as well. If Chara couldn't win, then her only option was to sacrifice Papyrus.

Which was why Chara couldn't lose.

Chara once again locked eyes with Monty, her eyes filled with determination, and they clashed again.

* * *

Attempt 13

A tremendous shock assailed Chara's body as she blocked Monty's overhead swing. She felt like her energy sword would fall apart, but she held her ground. She had thought she was getting the hang of fighting him, but he was so fast. It was all Chara could do to just block…

Chara felt something hard slam into her stomach, and she went flying. From the hard floor, she looked up and saw Monty retract his leg. "Don't focus solely on your enemy's weapon," he said. "You must pay attention to your opponent's entire form." He held out his hand. "Especially when they can use magic."

Chara rolled over and narrowly avoided the cyclone that Monty had summoned underneath her. She got back up and felt the swirling vortex threaten to suck her in, but she had an idea. She lightly threw a handful of energy knives and let them spin around the cyclone. As they whirled around, she charged at Monty, and at the same time, she flung the knives forward. One of the knives landed on Monty's face, staggering him, and Chara thrust her real knife into Monty's chest. Chara felt an elated satisfaction as her blade closed in. This was it! She had finally…

**12**

The blade connected, and it clanged off Monty's chest as if it were a concrete wall. The impact had dealt twelve damage, but that was nothing compared to what should have happened. Monty grunted and laughed as he stepped back and healed himself. "Heh, that one stung a bit."

Despair washed over Chara's soul, and she dropped down to her knees. It wasn't fair. That should have been a fatal blow. Why was Monty so powerful? He was LV 16, ten levels higher than Chara, but Chara was no ordinary human. She was a demon, and she had Frisk helping her. Why was the difference between them so great? Was power all that mattered in this world? Was it all just a numbers game?

 _Hey, don't give up,_ Frisk said again.  _You still hurt him, didn't you? You just proved that it's possible._

Possible? In theory, perhaps, but in practice?

Chara felt Monty's blade run through her heart. He looked down on her with cold, ruby eyes. "Don't expect sympathy on the battlefield."

* * *

Attempt 17

There was an important law that World Masters had to remember; determination only worked as long as one maintained the will to live. Every time Chara died, the death's embrace grew more and more tempting. Why fight when she could end her suffering at any time?

* * *

Attempt 18

…  _stay determined,_ Frisk quietly said.

* * *

Attempt 19

"Is this all the Demon of the Prophecy has to offer?"

* * *

Attempt 20

Aside from dying nineteen times in a row, the worst part was that Chara  _knew_ that Monty didn't want to win. He  _wanted_ Chara to beat him, but she kept dying anyway. How pathetic was it to be defeated by someone who wanted to lose?

"Might I make a suggestion?" Monty asked. "Why don't you try letting Frisk fight? You might discover something interesting."

Use Frisk? Why would that make a difference? What was Monty trying to say? That Chara was an incompetent weakling who should let her boyfriend do the fighting for her? Fuck that!

 _Let's give it a try,_ Frisk said.

Chara's blood flashed with anger.  _Why?!_   _Have you no faith in me?! What can you do that I can't?!_

 _Don't know,_ Frisk admitted,  _but –_

_Wait, I know! Monty isn't really a sadistic megalomaniac! He's just lonely! Let's hug it out!_

_Chara…_

_This isn't like the time you fought Asriel! Monty won't stop if you just stare at him like a sad puppy! He'll keep killing you, over and over. A spineless pacifist like you would be dead already!_

Silence filled Chara's mind, and her heart clenched as she realized what she had said.  _Oh, God… Frisk, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry… Frisk?_

 _... is that what you really think of me?_ Frisk asked.

Chara felt a deep pit in her stomach.  _N-no! I swear I didn't mean it! I was just frustrated!_

_If I'm a spineless pacifist, then I guess I shouldn't be doing this._

Chara's attack and defense regressed to their natural values, falling over a hundred points each. Her gut twisted like the time she had fallen into the Underground. She needed that power to survive, but losing Frisk tore her apart.

 _Nice job,_ Felicia sardonically said.  _I guess we're all angsty teenagers here._

Chara's heart felt like lead as she pleaded with her dearest friend.  _Frisk, don't do this! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply that you're some – I'm so sorry! Frisk… Frisk!_

No response.

Monty watched her with an amused smile. "Hey, what's wrong? Is that infighting I sense? All three of you must work together if you want to win."

Chara hurled her real knife at him with all her might. "Shut up!"

Monty nonchalantly stepped aside, and Chara's knife clanged on the floor. Monty sighed. "Come, now. That wasn't a smart move."

A few moments later, Chara's head parted with her body.

* * *

Attempt 21

Chara buried her face into her hands. What had she done? How could she have said that to Frisk? She had insulted everything Frisk stood for. Was Frisk right? Maybe that  _was_ how Chara truly felt about his goody-two-shoes act, and she just hadn't realized it. A fit of anger was no excuse for what she had said.

Chara laughed. "Heh... like Father, like Daughter."

Felicia spoke with a shaky voice.  _H-hey, this isn't funny! Cut it out, both of you!_

Chara didn't deserve Frisk's forgiveness  _–_ she never had  _–_ but she wanted it anyway, like the selfish demon she was. She begged for it.  _Frisk, I love those things about you. I love your kindness, your empathy, your forgiveness. I love all of it. I never meant to insult it._

 _Then why did you?_ Frisk challenged.  _Do you prefer me like this, Chara? Do you like me better as a soulless, unforgiving creature?_

Chara grimaced. That accusation cut deep. She  _did_ kind of like this side of Frisk; what did that say about her? Frisk had lost everything that made him who he was, and a part of her  _liked_ it. She was sick.

But... no, she did  _not_ prefer him like this. The real Frisk was the one she had fallen in love with, the kindhearted boy who never gave up. Chara shook her head.  _No, Frisk. I love the real you._

_Well, this is the real me now._

Chara's mind grew as silent as a grave. She shivered.  _Frisk, you can't be serious..._

No response.

_Frisk, please..._

No response.

Chara sniffled.  _I'm sorry; I know I was out of line. How can I make it up to you?_

Silence.

Slowly, Chara's sorrow turned to rage. Why was Frisk being so melodramatic? After all the other sins Chara had committed, was that one little outburst truly so unforgivable? Chara clenched her fists.  _Well, way to prove my point! I guess you're a quitter after all!_ Chara wiped her eyes and faced Monty.  _Fine, be that way! I don't need your stupid numbers! I'll do this myself!_

Chara ran at Monty and swung her knife. It bounded off his body as if it were made of solid steel, dealing one damage. Monty furrowed his brow, and he threw a punch at Chara's face. Crimson blood splattered all over the castle's orange floor.

* * *

Attempt 22

_Uh, hey,_ Felicia said.  _You're not really gonna leave us hanging, are you, Frisk?_

Who was she kidding? Chara couldn't win without Frisk, no matter how many times she tried. On her own, Chara's strength was measured in inches, while Monty's strength was measured in yards. As much as she hated to admit it, she was dead without Frisk.

 _Frisk, please,_ Chara whispered.  _If you don't help me, we'll both die._

 _I thought you didn't want my help!_ Frisk snapped.

_I do! I just…_

Oh, why did she even reject his help in the first place? Frisk was only trying to help, and Chara had brutally shot him down. She really had screwed up. This was all her fault. She always hurt the ones she loved.

Felicia groaned.  _Oh, for fuck's sake! I am_ not _going to die over a freaking lovers' quarrel!_

Chara shamefully bowed her head.  _I..._

 _Frisk, get over yourself!_ Felicia yelled.  _Chara was just angry, okay? She didn't mean it! She loves you! With or without your soul! And Chara, quit being so damn insecure! Swallow that foolish pride of yours and let Frisk help you! We're in this together, after all. Now, make up!_

…  _sorry,_ Frisk whispered.  _Well, not really, but we do need to kill Monty._

 _It was my fault,_ Chara replied.  _I can't believe I acted so harshly to you. If you truly believe fighting Monty yourself will help… go ahead._

 _Thank you,_ Frisk said.  _I_   _didn't mean to offend you_ _._   _I'm not trying to say that I'm any stronger or more determined than you are. I just want to do everything I can to help._

 _I know, Frisk. She_  sighed deeply, filled with relief that she and Frisk had made up. She hoped they never fought like that again. She smiled.  _Thanks, Felicia._

_Thank me by winning this fight!_

_Okay. Ready, Frisk?_

_Ready._

Chara passed him the controls.

_Make me strong, Chara._

Chara searched herself, and she found the power to strengthen Frisk's abilities. She found that she could raise his stats a little higher than Frisk could raise her own. Frisk's attack and defense both increased to 150 points. He smiled.  _Heh, that does_   _feel good._ He raised his arm.  _Okay, uh, how does this work?_

Chara resisted the urge to groan as Frisk aimlessly flailed his arms around. This was why she didn't like this plan. Why swap out an experienced mage with someone who had practically no experience? It would take him forever to learn; it was a waste of time.

 _Wait,_ Frisk said,  _I think I feel something. Ah!_

A red energy knife appeared behind Frisk. He flicked his wrist, and the knife plunged straight into his own back. He cried out in pain as he took ten damage, reducing his HP to thirty points.

Chara gasped.  _Frisk! Are you okay?_

 _Y-yeah,_ Frisk muttered. The wound on his back was bleeding. He had to heal it.

 _Can you cast a healing spell?_ Chara asked.

 _Umm… I'll try._ Frisk closed his eyes and concentrated.  _Let's see… healing, healing… ah, there it is!_

A green light glowed out of Frisk's hand. He placed it over his chest, and his wound healed. Chara was impressed that he had figured it out so quickly.  _Wow, Frisk…_

Frisk chuckled.  _There's no way I could have done that with my own body. I'm just borrowing your muscle memory or something. It's kind of like controlling a video game character. Even though I never learned to use any of these spells, I can still use them. I just have to find the right buttons, so to speak._

Like a character? Chara groaned.  _Oh, no… you just reminded me of my namesake._

_Huh? Your namesake?_

_Character…_

_What? Your name is short for 'character?'_

_Yes…_

_Heh, seriously? You'll have to tell me that story sometime._

_I will, after we kill this guy._

Frisk looked up at Monty, who had made no move to attack.  _How nice of him to let me prepare,_ Frisk said.

Another icy fear gripped Chara's heart. There was another reason she didn't want Frisk to do this. She didn't want him to get hurt; she didn't want him to suffer as much as she had.  _Are you sure about this?_ Chara asked.  _He's going to hurt you, badly._

Frisk converted the knife into an energy sword and planted his feet into a firm fighting stance.  _Trust me, Chara! We'll win! I swear it!_

He summoned more energy knives and fired them at Monty. He still didn't have half the skill Chara had, but just the fact that Frisk was able to direct any projectiles at the enemy was more than Chara had expected. Monty easily sidestepped the knives, blinked forward, and swung his sword. To Chara's continued amazement, Frisk managed to block several of Monty's strikes, until Monty sliced Frisk's legs with a low swing. Frisk whimpered and lost his balance, falling on his face, and Monty thrust his sword into his back.

* * *

Attempt 23

"AAAAAAHHHH! _"_

Chara let out a bloodcurdling scream. Dying was bad enough, but watching Frisk die was as heart-wrenching as she had feared. Monty had to  _die!_

 _It's fine,_ Frisk said.  _I have an idea._

_Tell me! Anything that will help us kill this creature!_

_Let's try switching back and forth._

_Huh? I don't understand._

_Give it a chance,_ Frisk said.  _I'll go first. When I say 'switch,' you take over._

_But, why?_

_Just a hunch._

_Uh, okay. I trust you._

Chara had absolutely no idea where Frisk was going with this, but she believed in him. She increased Frisk's attack and defense as much as she could, to 150 points, and Frisk engaged Monty again. He ran at him and swung his energy sword, and they traded blows.  _Switch!_

Chara assumed control. After parrying a slash from Monty, she threw a yellow knife at him. He waited for the knife to circle behind him and dodged at the last moment, forcing Chara to sidestep the attack herself.

Meanwhile, Chara felt herself grow more powerful than ever before. Frisk had raised her attack and defense statistics to 180 points. Chara gasped in amazement.  _Frisk, how did you…?_

 _Just as I thought,_ Frisk said.  _The stronger you make me, the stronger I can make you._

Frisk's plan finally clicked into Chara's head.  _So if we keep looping…_

_A perpetual cycle of escalating power._

… laughter escaped Chara's lips. It was beautiful. They could just keep making each other stronger as long as they wanted. All they had to do was survive long enough until they could crush Monty with overwhelming force. Chara's laughter grew more intense. Monty was screwed now! He wanted power? Then let him have it!

_Hey, Chara! Stay focused!_

While she was distracted, Monty impaled his sword through Chara's stomach. She coughed up blood as Monty pulled his blade out, and then he swung for her neck. That was fine. Victory was within reach.

* * *

Attempt 24

Chara approached Monty with a vicious smile.  _All right, Frisk. Let's do this._

_I'm with you! Let's go!_

Frisk increased Chara's attack and defense to 130, and Chara once again fired her magic at Monty. She fired her blades in spinning circles around the enemy. Monty dodged the knives without breaking a sweat, but that wasn't the point. She just needed to keep him busy.

_Frisk, switch!_

Frisk took over and continued attacking while Chara strengthened him.  _Switch!_

They switched again. Frisk increased Chara's power levels to 180.

_Switch!_

220.

_Switch!_

260.

Monty smiled. "Good, but it's not over yet." He scattered their magical blades with Windblast and again closed the distance with Blink. With enhanced reflexes, Frisk swiftly jumped back and avoided Monty's initial swing, and he jabbed his energy sword forward, landing a clean riposte in Monty's chest.

**23**

Monty's HP lowered to fifty-seven points. He laughed as he healed himself. "Now we're talking!"

_Switch!_

Frisk closed his eyes and passed control to Chara, and he increased Chara's stats even further, to 360 points. It felt  _amazing._

As soon as Chara opened her eyes, she saw Monty's blade swing towards her side. Despite her demonic reflexes, she couldn't block it in time. The blade hit her with full force, but it didn't slice through her body. Instead, Chara was knocked to the side as if she had been struck with a heavy, blunt object. She felt her ribcage fracture as she lost thirty-two out of forty HP, but the fact that she had survived was incredible. Her defensive aura had saved her from what should have been certain death. She could feel the tables turning. They were going to win.

Chara threw down her arm, summoning an array of giant knives twice the size of her body. They crashed down towards Monty, breaking apart the tiled floor as they fell. Monty jumped back, giving Chara time to heal herself with DT. She stood back up.  _Frisk!_

Frisk took over, and Chara raised his attack and defense to 400 points each. He threw a giant knife at Monty, spinning it horizontally. Monty jumped over it, and it sliced into a pillar behind him, tearing it down.  _Chara!_

Chara took over, and Frisk decided to focus on attack, raising it to 500 points. It was time for some fun. She converted her knife into an imposing greatsword about as wide as her body. She held it with both hands, and she swung the magical blade at Monty. He blinked backwards, and Chara destroyed another pillar. It tumbled down and cracked the floor beneath it.

Frisk switched in and went after Monty, swinging the greatsword. Monty kept dodging, and more pillars fell. Chara felt an intense rumble vibrate within the castle. Frisk darted his head around as the ceiling began to crumble.  _Oh, crap..._

Chara took control and swiveled her head to the captive skeleton in the room.  _Papyrus!_ She bolted to him and jumped over his body. She cast a barrier over themselves, and the ceiling came falling down. Frisk poured all of their power into defense as rocks and debris pounded on Chara's shield. It flickered, and her EN plummeted rapidly, but she held on. If Papyrus died, then everything she had done was pointless. He had to live!

Chara groaned as her muscles and magical energy strained to deflect the falling stone. Just before her body gave out, the debris finally stopped. Chara swung her greatsword and blew apart the fractured stone. With the last of her strength, she got up and safely pulled Papyrus out. She lied down, panting heavily. Her EN had fallen below two percent. She took out her second DT syringe and recovered, and she laughed. How lucky was that?

Once she healed, Chara picked up Papyrus and carried him away from the fallen hallway. She laid him down on the ground outside. Papyrus's bones were rattling, but he was alive.

"It's okay," Chara said. "This will be over shortly."

Papyrys breathed deeply, and his shaking slowed.

 _Why did you bother?_ Frisk asked.

 _What? Why wouldn't I?_ Chara responded, incredulous that Frisk would even ask such a question.

 _Monty said he will disarm the bomb if you kill him,_  Frisk said. _Once we do that, you can just reset._

Reset...?  _Oh... I, uh, I forgot. Still, I couldn't just let Papyrus die, and Monty isn't the most trustworthy person, anyway. I would rather have him disarm the bomb_ before  _he dies._

_Well, whatever._

God, Chara needed to help him.

Flowey coughed beside her, covered in dirt. "We're fine too, by the way."

"My God," Elodie muttered. "Did you just do that?"

Chara chuckled. "I guess we did."

From the other side of the collapsed hallway, Chara heard laughter. She jumped on top of the crumbled hallway, and she faced Monty. "Is this what you wanted?" Chara asked. "Does this please you?"

"It's a good start," Monty said. He pointed his sword at her. "But we're still not finished."

Chara smiled. She undid the spell on her knife, turning it back to normal. "Then, let's finish this."

Monty held his ground. "Give me everything you've got!"

As Chara charged once more, Monty cast Windblast and sent a volley of debris flying towards her. Chara summoned an energy sword in her right hand and sliced the debris apart, clearing her path. She ran forward and slashed her knife at Monty. He raised his sword, and Chara's knife sliced through it. The upper half of Monty's sword fell into the rubble. He laughed, and Chara swung her knife downward.

**80**

Chara's slash ruptured Monty's body, creating a deep cut from his shoulder to his stomach. Blood sprayed out of the wound, and Monty's HP fell to zero.

… his HP fell to zero…

… she had done it. She had won.  _She had won!_

 _Oh my God,_ Felicia breathed.  _You actually did it._

Still laughing, Monty sat down in the rubble. "Well done, Chara."

Chara put her knife away and slung Monty's arm around her shoulder. She carried him away from the rubble, where Papyrus and the others were. She sat him down against the wall.

Papyrus, Flowey, and Elodie both stared at them with wide eyes. Flowey was the first to speak up. "Chara, did you…?"

Chara nodded. "It's over."

Tears welled up in Elodie's green eyes. "Father…"

Monty coughed up blood. "Yeah, they got me. It won't be much longer now."

"… I understand why you did it," Elodie said, "but that doesn't make it right."

Monty's voice grew raspy. "Tell me that… next time humans and monsters destroy each other."

Chara stared blankly into Monty's eyes. She had thought this moment would have filled her with joy, but her feelings turned out to be more complicated. In the end, Chara defeated Monty by doing exactly what he wanted. Could that even be called a victory? Everything had gone according to Monty's plan. He may have been at death's door, but he had arrived there on his own terms. Chara could take no pride in it.

Monty stared back at her, smiling. "Before today, I wasn't sure if this world would survive, but you have proven yourself. The remaining terrorists will fall easily to you. Whenever someone threatens monsterkind, humanity, the world, you'll have the power to stop them. It's the only way, only a god can fight other gods." He coughed up more blood, his body shaking. "O-once again, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders. What happens next… I leave… up… to you…"

As Monty's body went limp, Chara heard a beeping sound coming from Papyrus's body. The explosive attached to him glowed with a green light. It was disarmed.

Chara gained 10 EXP. Her LOVE remained at 6.

"What a weirdo," Flowey said.

Monty's red soul floated over his corpse as it sat slumped over a pool of blood. Flowey absorbed it into his flower body. "Don't worry, just holding on to it."

Chara took a deep breath. Monty was finally dead.

 _Thank you,_ Felicia whispered.  _I still haven't forgiven you, but thank you._

"... he wanted me to become powerful," Chara mused. "And that's exactly what I did. Isn't that want I always wanted? Power?"

 _Maybe,_ Frisk said,  _but Monty was right about one thing. Power doesn't always have to be used for evil. The desire to protect your friends doesn't make you a megalomaniac._

Chara sighed.  _Yeah._ She turned towards Papyrus, and she untied him, removing the explosive and tearing the gag off his mouth. "Are you okay?"

Papyrus gave her a weary smile. "Yeah… is Frisk really still alive?"

Chara smiled back at him. "Yes, Frisk is going to be okay."

Papyrus laid down. "Good… sorry I'm so useless, by the way."

"It's okay. Everyone gets kidnapped on occasion."

"Heh, thank you."

Elodie sniffled. Chara held her shoulder. "Are  _you_ okay?"

"Y-yeah," Elodie whimpered. "You did the right thing; I just wish he had done the same."

Chara embraced her. "I'm sorry."

"… what will you do now?" Elodie asked.

"… I still have a war to finish," Chara answered. "After that, I'm just going to live my life."

"You can't kill war, Chara."

Chara smiled. "Well, I'll give it my best shot."

Live her life? She had said it, but what exactly did that mean? She wanted to be happy with her family, with Asriel, with Frisk, but other than that, she wasn't sure what she wanted. Still, that was a question for another day. Right now, all that was left was to go home.

Chara, Flowey, Papyrus, and Elodie walked over the collapsed hallway, and they left the Underground.

* * *

**In loving memory of the Judgement Hall.**


	51. God of the World

" **Peace and prosperity will rule across the land."**

–  **Flowey**

* * *

Commander Adam Cohen inspected the latest shipment. He took the largest crate from the pile and pried it open. Inside were sixteen military grade M1X assault rifles, as ordered. As Adam examined the firearms, his deputy commander, Colin, smiled at him. "Everything in order, sir?"

Adam nodded. "It would seem so."

"Oh, but we're just getting started!" Colin cheerfully said. He picked up a crowbar and pried open another crate, unveiling a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher. Colin held it in his arms, cradling it as if it were his newborn child. "Fear that demon no more! Not even the strongest mages can withstand high-explosive thermobaric warheads. She'll be dead within moments."

Adam hummed in deep thought. "Are you sure it will be enough?"

"Adam, Adam, Adam. When have I ever steered you wrong? I've seen the footage. The demon is tough, but not invincible. We have more than enough firepower to break through her defenses." He went back to the stack and retrieved a tall, thin crate. Inside this one was a devastating .50 caliber sniper rifle. Colin handed it to him. "Here, this should encourage you."

Adan took the rifle. It was surprisingly light for a fifty. He imagined one of its .50 caliber rounds flying through the air, piercing that demon's skull. He wouldn't rest until his son was avenged.

"We're all right behind you," Colin said. "The demon will die, and then we'll drive out the rest of those monsters."

For the time being, Adam brushed away his vengeful thoughts and focused on practical matters. He couldn't allow his emotions to control him. This wasn't about him, after all. "We'll have to use these supplies well," he said. "Our funding is going to take a major hit now that Elizabeth is dead."

"We'll find more backers," Colin assured him. "Not everyone is an idiot like Frisk. There are plenty of sane people like you and me who appreciate the importance of basic global security."

Adam nodded. "It's disturbing how far some people are willing to go in the name of 'equality.' They're so preoccupied with their causes that they see bigotry everywhere they look, but we're  _not_ bigots. We're just not willing to let the world be destroyed over a tiny fraction of the population. It's a tragedy, but that's how it is."

"Hey, don't preach to the choir," Colin said. "I know how it is, Adam."

He sighed. "Sorry, you're right. My words are wasted here."

"No worries, I understand. It's a crazy world we live in, isn't it? Anyway, let's talk strategy, shall we? Our forces will –"

Suddenly, another member of the Resistance, Terry, frantically ran into the room. "Sir! The Military Police are outside! They have us surrounded!"

Adam jumped in shock. "What?! How did they find us?"

"Hell if I know, but Chara is here, too! She approached the main gate all by herself. She says she wants to negotiate."

Chara? Why were they sending Chara to negotiate? Adam's face cracked with a smile. After all that planning, their prey was walking right into the lion's den. If there were going to hell, at least they could take that demon with them.

"Have everyone assume their combat positions," Adam ordered.

"Already done," Terry reported.

"Good, the demon's life ends today."

Adam took his rifle and exited the warehouse, walking out into the morning light. He saw Chara standing outside, alone, with dozens of firearms pointed at her. Adam stared at the demon with disgust. She looked like an ordinary fourteen-year-old girl, but Adam knew the true face hidden beneath her façade. The being that stood before him was a monster in every sense of the word.

The demon smiled. "Greetings, terrorists. I am Chara Dreemurr, but please, call me Chara."

Shocked beyond words, Adam continued to stare silently. How could Chara be so stupid? He didn't care how powerful she was; there was no way she could take them all on by herself. Adam considered giving the order to fire right there, but curiosity stayed his hand.

"I wish to make a deal with you," Chara said, "but first, allow me to inform you that you have absolutely no chance of defeating me in combat."

Chara was impossibly outnumbered, but she had said that with complete certainty. It didn't sound like she was bluffing; she honestly believed that Adam and his resistance fighters were no match for her. Some of the soldiers shook in intimidation, and Adam felt unnerved himself, but that was insane. He frowned irritably. "I see your victory at the courthouse has driven you mad. Look around yourself. With one word from me, we'll tear you to shreds."

Chara stroked her chin. "Hmm, curious. What makes you so certain? The Military Police has you cornered. If I didn't have the power to defeat you, then why am I standing here? Do you not think I would have left this battle to them if I were too weak? Still, if you wish to test my claims, then be my guest. Give it your best shot."

Adam felt a chill in the air, but why? Chara had clearly lost her mind. No matter what she believed, she couldn't beat them. The Military Police were behind her, but they were too far away. Once Adam ordered his forces to fire, they wouldn't be able to save her in time.

After a long pause, Chara spoke again. "Excellent. Now, on to the matter at hand. You have a lot of nerve, don't you? You wish to wipe out monsterkind, after Frisk and I fought so hard to save them. I cannot imagine anything more offensive."

Adam furrowed his brow. "What's your point?"

Chara held up her hand. "Yes, yes, it is quite simple, really. I am here to accept your surrender. Lay down your weapons, and the Military Police will take all of you into custody." Her hand clenched into a fist. "Refuse, and I shall exterminate every last terrorist here."

A wave of terror ran through the Resistance; their weapons trembled in their hands. It still sounded crazy, but Chara's actions were too bold to dismiss it completely. As she had said, why would she bluff like this? Why would the Military Police send out a single unit to fight them, unless they knew that one unit was all they needed?

Sweat dripped down Terry's forehead. "Y-you… you can't…"

Hiding his own terror, Adam scoffed at Chara. "We'll die before surrendering to a demon like you."

Chara laughed. "That sounds familiar, but I think you'll change your mind soon enough."

Adam raised his rifle. "Enough! Everyone, fire everything you have at this demon!"

The resistance fighters immediately complied, and deafening cracks echoed throughout the base as they discharged their weapons. Adam lined up his crosshairs with Chara's head and fired, smiling contentedly. Chara was finally…

**0.000000001**

Adam's red eyes popped wide open, refusing to believe what they were seeing. Chara simply stood still as the bullets bounced harmlessly off her body; she didn't seem to have taken any damage at all.  _What?! How?!_

The gunfire lulled as everyone emptied their magazines, just as shocked as Adam. "Did you not hear me?" Chara asked. "I said that you cannot win against me. You really should listen when people warn you."

Adam clicked his tongue and fired another round. The bullet struck Chara's head, only to bounce off like all the others. Adam's body shook with both despair and frustration.  _How?_ That .50 caliber round was designed to penetrate  _armor_. Why couldn't it pierce this demon's bare flesh?

"Please," Chara said, "you're embarrassing yourselves."

Adam felt his legs tremble. He took a step backward and nearly fell over, and he spoke with a voice frantic with terror. "N-no! That's impossible!  _That's impossible!_ "

The rest of the Resistance continued to pour everything they had into Chara. Colin climbed on top of a shipping crate and aimed his rocket launcher at the demon. He fired, sending a rocket flying towards Chara. The missile hit its mark, and the explosion enveloped Chara in a dusty explosion. Surely,  _that_  had to…

**0.000000001**

When the smoke cleared, Chara stood completely unharmed over the scorched concrete beneath her feet. Adam and all of his resistance fighters shivered uncontrollably. Everyone stopped firing, unable to comprehend why Chara hadn't lost a single drop of blood.

Colin's mouth hung wide open. "N-no way…"

Chara buried her face into the palm of her hand. "This is stupid. Was that your greatest trump card? How pathetic." She pointed her finger at Adam. "Well, I suppose I should fight back."

If Adam had blinked, he would have missed the red knife soaring through the air and running right through his leg. Pain burned through his nerves as his kneecap burst wide open, spraying blood all over the ground. He screamed in pain as he fell down, clutching the profusely bleeding wound.

The first to reach his limit, Terry screamed. He turned his back and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Chara turned to face him instantly. "Abandoning your allies? How rude. Let me teach you some respect."

Another knife shot out of Chara's hand and tore through Terry's stomach. He fell over and landed on his face, writhing on the concrete and bleeding as badly as Adam. Every single resistance fighter froze. They couldn't fight. They couldn't run. Everything Chara had said was true; they were all at her mercy.

"Wh-what have you done?" Adam asked. "How did you get so strong?"

Chara coldly looked down at him. "That is none of your concern. My attack and defense are at levels mere humans like you could never dream of reaching, far beyond the maximum LOVE capacity of twenty. You cannot lay a scratch on me."

Adam couldn't believe this. Chara was really that powerful? Her stats were just that high? Damn it! If only they had KARMA weaponry, then all that power would have been meaningless, but KARMA technology was still in early development. Adam hoped that one day, someone would use it to crush Chara.

Adam scowled defiantly at the demon. "Enjoy your little power fantasy while you can, but it won't last. It's only a matter of time until someone finds a way to destroy you."

"Perhaps," Chara said, "but even if I die, another will take my place. As long as humanity exists, so will demons. You wish to wipe out monsterkind for the greater good, but your kind is just as dangerous on its own. It's much easier to proclaim genocide when it's not your species, is it not?"

Adam froze. Something about the way this demon spoke cut deep into his soul, but he couldn't listen to her. Chara was wrong. Demons weren't like monsters; they could beat them. Even in the face of Chara's overwhelming power, Adam still believed that. He just wished he could have been the one to do it.

"… did you enjoy killing my son?" Adam spat.

"Did you enjoy watching Frisk die?" Chara shot back.

"Yes, I did!" Adam yelled. "You know why? I am so sick of your self-serving righteousness! You're so happy to call us bigots, but I don't see you coming up with any better ideas! If you have a solution, a way to ensure monsters never absorb human souls, let's hear it! I'm listening!"

Chara said nothing; she just continued to stare coldly.

"You know what?" Adam said. "You're right; you might as well go back to your original plan and destroy humanity right now."

"… no," Chara said. "I won't destroy humanity." She looked among the crowd of terrified resistance fighters and raised her voice. "However, I will not hesitate to destroy you."

The resistance fighters quivered, and several of them dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves on the ground. "M-mercy!"

"Cowards!" Adam shouted. "You are all –"

In an instant, Chara pressed her knife against Adam's neck. "Are you really going to throw your life away for pride? Is there no one who would miss you?"

… Adam thought of his other two children. Which would be worse for them? Growing up without their father, or seeing their father in prison? He didn't know, but he knew what they would tell him to do.

Adam rifle slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor. Following his lead, the rest of the Resistance also dropped their weapons. Once they had all surrendered, Chara took out a radio and spoke into it. "It's done."

A few moments later, the Military Police stormed the base, arresting every resistance fighter without a struggle. They had been captured.

As an officer handcuffed Adam, he took another look at Chara and growled. "Is this your plan? Force us all to play nice with power? That was Monty's idea, wasn't it? It won't work. No matter what you call us, we'll keep fighting."

"Yes," Chara said. "I understand your type, for I was once the same. You genuinely don't see yourself as prejudiced; you believe that you are committing a necessary evil for survival. But, if that were truly the case, if you truly did not hate monsterkind, then you would look for a solution that does  _not_ require genocide."

"Like what?" Adam asked. "You can't cure soul absorption."

"Have you ever tried?" Chara replied.

"… even if it's possible, that would take time we don't have. We can't take that chance."

The demon turned her back on him. "What kind of determination is that?"

The demon walked away, leaving Adam to his arrest.

* * *

Chara let out a long, deep sigh.  _Oh, that was exhausting._

_You did well, though,_ Frisk said.  _They'll think twice before messing with you again._

She smiled.  _I admit, it was kind of fun channeling my inner Ainz-sama._

Frisk laughed. _God damn it, Chara. I thought that sounded familiar._

_What on Earth are you talking about?_ Felicia asked.

_Another awesome anime,_ Chara said.  _Perhaps we should show you sometime._

Felicia said nothing, making Chara frown. They weren't friends anymore, were they?

Mercifully, the awkward silence was soon broken up by General Ackerman. She approached Chara and reached out her hand. "Thank you, Chara. The base is secure."

Chara shook her hand. "Glad I could help."

There was a grim glint in Ackerman's eyes. "However, I'm afraid I must ask how you became so strong. I knew you were powerful, but not, well,  _that_. How did you do it?"

Chara grew tense.  _Should we tell her?_ she whispered.

_Don't see the harm in it,_ Frisk answered.  _I won't be like this much longer anyway._

… Chara knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath, and she answered. "The truth is, Frisk is not dead. My power awakened him as a demon, just as his power awakened me."

Ackerman's light blue eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"This isn't something I would joke about," Chara said.

"I, uh, I must admit, I still don't fully understand all this demon stuff. How exactly does it work?"

Chara shrugged. "I don't fully understand it, myself. All I know is that it requires determination, pain, and death, but the details remain a mystery."

"Uh, yeah," Ackerman said. "I suppose Frisk met those conditions, but that still doesn't explain where all that power came from."

"A demon has the power to strengthen their host," Chara said. "Since Frisk and I are both demons, we're able to perpetually increase each other's power. What you have witnessed was the result of several hours of repetition."

"I… I see." Ackerman's light blue eyes shifted nervously. "You're not planning to become some kind of demon overlord, are you?"

"Heh, you concern is well-founded," Chara said, "but no, I am not the person I was back then. During Frisk's quest to free monsterkind, a certain person made me realize how dangerous power could be, and I did what little I could to help Frisk stop him. I won't do what Monty wanted; I will never become God of the World. Once Frisk returns to his own body, I will go back to being a normal demon. Still powerful, but nothing near the level you saw just now."

Ackerman's tone darkened. "Thank you for telling me this, but the public must not know. If they find out, red souls may be persecuted as harshly as monsters."

Chara nodded. "I understand, and I highly recommend that you allocate more funding for research and development of KARMA technology. Today, we gave them the stick, but now we must give them the carrot. Only a fool tries to change the world through fear alone."

"True, but how will you do that?"

"Gaster will come up with something," Chara said. "He's seen hundreds of worlds like ours. While he does not know of a method to 'cure' soul absorption, he does know of ways to lessen the risk. Hopefully, he can keep people happy until an acceptable solution is found."

"… what if there is no solution?" Ackerman asked.

That was a difficult question. "I don't know," Chara said. "Let's hope that isn't the case."

"Yeah…" Ackerman pressed her fist against her heart and bowed. "You saved a lot of lives today, Chara. We are in your debt."

Chara smiled. "It was no trouble. Really, none at all."

"Ha, I suppose it wasn't." She raised her head. "Still, I apologize for placing this burden on you. I wish I could offer you more, but five-hundred-thousand credits will be wired to your account as a reward for your assistance in the arrest of these terrorists."

Chara felt a jolt run through her body. Had she heard that correctly? Five-hundred-thousand credits? That was over a month's worth of the average annual salary. Chara swooned. "Th-that's, u-umm… th-that's… that's very generous of you."

"You deserve more," Ackerman said, "but the Treasury would have my head if I paid you further."

"Th-that's quite alright," Chara replied. "I am very grateful."

Perhaps a more noble person would have declined Ackerman's offer, but Chara wasn't one of those people. She may have rejected absolute power, but she wasn't going to turn down a perfectly good paycheck… she would have to take Frisk somewhere nice.

Chara cleared her throat. "Thanks again, but I should get back home now."

Ackerman nodded. "Yes, you've earned some rest. Be careful out there."

"I will. Goodbye, General."

"Farewell."

Chara parted ways with Ackerman and headed for the extraction point. She heaved another sigh.  _It's over,_ she said.  _No more fighting if we can help it._

Frisk's voice was quiet.  _Yeah…_

_Only one thing left now._

* * *

Chara stood with Asgore and Toriel in Alphys's lab. Flowey was standing on the floor, and Frisk's body was lying down in a hospital bed. Alphys carried in two glass capsules specially designed to preserve the souls they contained. One of the souls was red, Monty's soul, and the other was gray, Boaris's soul. "So, uh, who's first?" Alphys asked.

Asriel had been waiting for far too long. After all these years, it was finally time to pay him back for the sins Chara had committed. She knelt down and brushed her finger along Flowey's petals. "Asriel," she said. "Please, bring my brother back."

"Gotcha." Alphys grabbed the capsule with Boaris's soul and brought it to Flowey.

"Will this hurt him?" Toriel fretfully asked.

"No," Alphys answered. "It shouldn't take more than a few moments. Just gotta put the soul in and inject some DT. It's that easy."

That easy, huh? Chara twiddled her fingers anxiously. Would this really work? Could Asriel really be saved so easily? He had been a flower for so long. How would he feel after getting that soul?

"You know," Flowey said, "strangely enough, I might actually miss being a flower a little bit. Let's be honest, I'm really cool, aren't I? Still, I'm tired of being a psychopath. Let's get on with this."

Alphys frowned. "I am sorry for what I did to you."

"Oh, Alphys, my naïve little science lizard. Believe me, I've already gotten my revenge on you, many,  _many_  times. Don't worry about it."

Alphys's claws trembled. "I… I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Wise choice," Flowey said.

With no further words, Alphys opened the capsule and took out the gray soul. Flowey grabbed it and absorbed it into his body. To complete the process, Alphys pressed a syringe filled with DT into Flowey's stem. "A-are you ready?"

"Inject!"

Alphys complied. She expelled the liquid DT from the syringe. For a few moments, nothing happened. Flowey's face scrunched up, trying to feel something. "N-need more…"

Alphys injected him with more determination. Flowey winced. "A little more…"

Alphys gave him more.

"Almost got it…"

After another dose of DT, Flowey's body began to glow with a blindingly bright light. Chara watched with a pounding heart as Flowey's body changed shape. The white silhouette of a flower gradually disappeared. By the time the light faded, a humanoid goat stood where Flowey once was. He had white fur, long ears, and fangs in his mouth. Alphys quickly wrapped a towel around his naked body. Chara took a deep, shaky breath. She could hardly believe it. They had finally done it. They had saved Asriel.

Asriel opened his eyes and looked at her. "Chara…"

Chara should have been filled with nothing but joy, and she  _was_. She was so happy to see Asriel again, but she also felt a deep pit in her stomach. Flowey had said that he had forgiven her, but would he still feel that way now that he was Asriel? Chara swallowed, and she worked up the courage to speak. "Is that you, Asriel?"

"I… think so," Asriel said. "I feel… happy to see you."

"Y-you are?"

"Of course," Asriel said. "Why wouldn't I be happy to see my best friend?"

Despite her efforts against it, Chara felt tears collect in her red eyes. She thought she was over this, but it was different hearing it from Asriel in his true form. It wasn't just empty words from Flowey; it was Asriel. Her brother was back.  _Asriel was back!_ Chara ran to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "A-Asriel!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm s-so sorry!"

Asriel hugged back. "It's okay. Everything is okay now."

"B-but, e-everything that h-happened is my –"

"Chara, it's okay."

… heh, she really was awful. Her best friend had just been freed from a soulless existence, and all she could think about was herself. Chara looked her brother in the eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? How are you feeling?"

Asriel smiled. "I told you; I'm happy."

Chara smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that."

They hugged for a while longer. Eventually, Asriel let go and faced Asgore and Toriel. "Umm, hi, Mom and Dad."

Toriel and Asgore both embraced him. Toriel whimpered. "My child…"

"We missed you," Asgore said.

Asriel laughed somberly. "I know, I know." He let go, and he turned towards Frisk's body. "Hey, let's not keep Frisk waiting."

Frisk… Chara was very concerned for him, as well. Like Asriel, he had done things he never would have done if he had his soul. How would he react once his true feelings were restored? Chara walked over to Frisk's body and held his cold hand.  _Are you ready, Frisk?_

_Yeah._

Alphys brought over the red soul – which had been cleansed of Monty's essence – and she inserted it inside Frisk's chest. The soul phased into Frisk's body and glowed with a red light.

_Okay,_ Frisk said.  _I'm going now. See you, Chara._

Frisk's essence transferred back to his body, and Alphys injected him with DT. After a few seconds, Frisk awoke with a sharp gasp, just as Chara had awoken when Frisk revived her. Frisk took several deep, ragged breaths and clutched his neck. Chara kept holding his hand. "Frisk…"

Their eyes met, and Frisk's panting gradually died down. "H-hey."

"How do you feel?" Chara asked.

Frisk sat up and stared blankly. His silence made Chara's stomach churn. Eventually, Frisk's face contorted into a heartbreaking grimace. "I…" He again stared into Chara's eyes. "Felicia, I'm… sorry for your loss."

Felicia gave no response.

"I can't say Jacob was my favorite person," Frisk said, "but in the end, he proved that he wasn't all bad. I wish this world hadn't driven him to do the things he did. If he hadn't been placed in such a difficult position, I'm sure he would have been much different. Did he deserve to die? I honestly don't know, but there was nothing we could have done for him."

All things considered, Chara was surprised how well Frisk was taking this. With teary eyes, Frisk got out of the bed, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for saving me."

It warmed Chara's heart to hear that. "Of course, Frisk."

Frisk sniffled. "I wasn't ready to go."

"I know."

"I'm not ready to die."

"We have our whole lives ahead of us."

"… thank you."

Chara hugged him as long as she'd hugged Asriel. When they eventually parted, a faint laugh escaped Frisk's lips. "Heh, I guess we're even now. I saved you from death, and now you have saved me from death."

Chara smiled. "Yes, it's strangely poetic, isn't it? Two cheaters of death, side-by-side."

Frisk smiled back, and he kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry we had that fight; my feelings for you haven't changed one bit."

Chara felt a familiar tingle swell in her stomach, and she kissed him back on his lips. "Good to know; my feelings haven't changed, either."

As the two of them stared happily at each other, Asriel covered his eyes. "Ew! Gross! Gross!"

Frisk turned to face Asriel, and he gave him a hug as well. "I'm so happy you're back, Asriel."

"Heehee, I'm sure you are," Asriel said.

Toriel, Asgore, and Chara joined in, all embracing in a group hug.

"Why did you not tell me sooner?" Toriel asked. "I was  _devastated_ when I saw you die, Frisk."

"We should have," Frisk said, "but it's okay now."

"Please don't do that again," Asgore said.

"Heh, I'll try not to."

Asriel sighed. "Ah, happy endings can be so cheesy sometimes."

"I'm not complaining," Chara said. "After all the hell we've been through, we deserve to be happy."

As they continued hugging, Chara heard something snap behind her. She turned around, and she saw Alphys holding her phone, with the camera pointed at them. She smiled giddily. "Oh my God, so cute! I'm posting this right away!"

Shortly after, all of their phones buzzed with a notification from Alphys's Overbook profile, displaying a picture of Frisk, Chara, Asriel, Asgore, and Toriel locked in their warm group hug. Chara smiled. "That's a good picture," she said. Although, there was something missing. "Too bad we couldn't get Felicia in there." She glanced at Alphys. "By the way, any luck tracking down her DNA?"

"Yes, actually," Alphys said. She rummaged through her desk and took out a plastic bag. Inside were…

Chara stared dumbstruck at the bag. "Is that… teeth?"

"Yes!" Alphys exclaimed. "I asked everyone who knew her, and Mrs. Hemlock gave me these. She said she never understood why Elizabeth didn't want to keep them herself."

Sure enough, the bag was filled with the teeth of a child. Chara couldn't believe Flora had held on to them, but it was good news. With Felicia's DNA, Alphys could restore her body. It would still take some time to grow it, but all the pieces were in place. Chara chuckled. "Elodie will be happy to hear this."

"I don't know," Frisk said. "She sounded pretty excited to go body shopping with Felicia, but it looks like that won't be happening."

Chara playfully smirked at him. "Hey, are you saying you would be happy to change my body if you got the chance?"

Frisk laughed. "Of course not, but I can't speak for Elodie."

"Mhm, true, she's kind of a creep."

"Hey, that's not nice."

"I mean that in the nicest way possible."

They shared another laugh, but after that, Frisk's voice returned to a serious tone. "Felicia, I really do hope you can forgive us, or, at the very least, I hope you feel better."

While Felicia continued to remain silent, a dark frown appeared on Asriel's face. "This is gonna be weird," he mused. "After all the things I've done as Flowey, it's gonna be so weird to face everyone with a soul." He looked at Asgore and Toriel. "Mom, Dad… there's something I need to get off my chest."

Chara's eyes widened. He wasn't seriously going to…?

"I've killed you," Asriel flat out said. "When I was a flower, I had the power to reset the timeline, before Frisk came along anyway, and while I had that power, I used it for all kinds of things,  _all_ kinds of things. I've made friends with everyone. I've solved everyone's problems flawlessly, and I've also… killed everyone. I've  _tortured_ everyone. I've done everything the Underground had to offer. As a soulless flower, I felt no remorse for anything I did. You were all nothing more than my playthings."

Asgore and Toriel both stared blankly at their son, their expressions filled with disbelief.

"You know it's true," Asriel said. "You feel it, don't you?"

Toriel blinked. "Umm, well…"

Asgore shook his head. "No, Asriel. That was not you. I know you would never do such things."

"It  _was_ part of me," Asriel said sadly. "Without my soul, I was incomplete, but I was only able to do what I did as Flowey because part of me enjoyed tormenting you, and that part of me is still there. It always will be."

"But, you regret it, do you not?" Toriel asked.

"Yes," Asriel said. "I've hurt so many people as Flowey, and there's no excuse for what I've done."

"How is lacking a soul not an excuse?" Asgore asked.

"Is being a psychopath ever an excuse?" Asriel replied.

"Well, I forgive you," Toriel said. "I do not care what you have done as Flowey. You are no longer that person. You are still my son, Asriel. I love you."

Asgore nodded. "Yes, I love you as well, Asriel."

Asriel smiled. "Sorry, but I already knew you'd say that. You always forgave me whenever I revealed my true identity."

"Uh… I see," Toriel said. "Thank you for your… honesty."

"Well, that's all I wanted to say," Asriel said. "I'm sure you don't want to know the details."

"Uh, yes," Asgore said. "You've told us enough."

"On a more positive note," Chara said, "it was actually Asriel who destroyed the Barrier. He absorbed the human souls, as well as almost everyone in the Underground, and he used that power to shatter the Barrier once and for all."

Toriel's eyes widened with realization. "Oh, so that is what happened when we blacked out. Hmm… I must admit, I am uncertain if that was a wise course of action. I do not feel comfortable knowing that we owe our freedom to murder, and we have endured much hardship since returning to the Surface."

Chara faced Toriel with a look of steel in her red eyes. "It was the right decision," she said. "Regardless of how you feel about Asgore's actions, we couldn't let those deaths be in vain, and we couldn't cower from the humans forever. Asriel did the right thing."

Toriel held out her hands. "Oh, I did not mean any offense. A lot of good has come of the Barrier's destruction… however, it almost cost the lives of each and every one of us. I hope it will all work out, but I cannot deny the possibly that something terrible will happen."

"We'll do our best to kept that from happening," Frisk assured her.

Toriel sighed and nodded. "All right."

"So, anyway," Asriel said, "I'm sure everyone is waiting to see us. We should let them know we're okay."

"Yeah," Frisk agreed. "Let's get going."

"I see you are eager to head off as ever," Toriel said. "Well, do not let me keep you."

Frisk smiled at Alphys. "Thanks for your help, Doctor."

Alphys blushed. "H-heh, it was the least I could do after everything you've done for us."

Chara smiled happily at Asriel and Frisk. "Come, let us enjoy the freedom we've fought so hard for."

Frisk smiled back. "Yes, let's enjoy it together."

That was it, then. No more uncovering Government conspiracies, no more killing, no more playing God. They had been through so much, but now, Chara hoped they could finally find some peace. With Frisk and Asriel beside her, Chara walked outside.

* * *

**One left.**


End file.
